Thursday, July 8, 2010

Peach Apricot Oatmeal Bread

Expectation: To use up some freshly picked apricots in tasty whole grain breakfast bread!

Winning Recipe: Peach Apricot Oatmeal Bread


I was looking for something to make for breakfast over 4th of July weekend, and this recipe stuck out because it seemed perfect for the family gathering, yet also completely fresh and new. Once again, I found the recipe in my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. I intended to make the bread with only peaches from the farmers market, but on a walk the morning of July 3rd, we stumbled upon three gorgeous trees overflowing with bright orange apricots. We picked as many as we could stuff in our pockets, and I decided to make the bread with half peaches and half apricots. It was such a hit that I went back to the tree for more apricots and made three more loaves a few days later. 

I experimented with a couple things. First, the flour. The first time, I used only white whole wheat flour. The second time, I used half white whole wheat flour and half traditional whole wheat flour. The white whole wheat flour was amazing. I didn't taste a hint of whole grain. The second batch was also really light and moist, but with a slight "whole wheat" taste. If you don't mind this taste, then don't be afraid to use regular whole wheat flour. If you're trying to hide the whole grains, white whole wheat is the way to go. 

My other experiment was leaving the skins on the apricots in the second batch. The bread had a nice tangy taste, and the fruit had a more central role. Once again, if you're trying to hide the fruit, then definitely remove the skins. If you like a tangy, fruity taste, leave them on. Plus, you get more fiber and nutrients that way! The end result in either case is a light and moist, slightly sweet and tangy bread with a hint of almond. It definitely exceeded my expectations, and will fit right in with pumpkin bread and banana bread as another one of my favorite breakfast breads. 

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups sliced peaches and/or apricots (peeled or not, depending on taste)
  • 2 cups traditional whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour (how to measure flour)
  • 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • If you like nuts (which I do!), 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preparations:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cut the peaches and/or apricots into small pieces and place in a strainer or paper towel to drain. Stir together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

Add the oats, fruit and walnuts; stir to coat the fruit. Beat together the eggs, milk, oil and almond extract in a separate bowl. Add to the flour mixture, stirring just until evenly moistened.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Test the loaf for doneness; if a toothpick inserted in the center doesn't come out clean, cover the top of the bread with foil and bake in 5-10 minute increments until it does. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, if the bread does not come out of the pan easily, run a table knife around the edges of the loaf, then turn it out of the pan and return it to the rack to cool completely before slicing. 

I highly recommend using a non-stick pan for this bread. I had a slight disaster when, even though I had sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray, the bread stuck to the bottom of the old (not non-stick) pan I was using. 

Nutrition facts for one slice:
198 calories
5g fat
35g carbohydrate
3g fiber
GI 64
GL 27

About the grains:

White Whole Wheat Flour is produced from a hard, white variety of the wheat plant. It tastes and appears more like refined flour, even though it has almost the same nutrient content as red whole wheat. You can substitute 25 to 50% (depending on your taste) of the all-purpose flour in cookie, brownie and pancake recipes. I purchased a five pound bag of King Arthur Flour Organic White Whole Wheat Flour for $7.99 at Whole Foods). See how I also used it in coffeecake.

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened by a roller.  Rolled oats cannot be eaten raw, but are the main ingredient in minimally cooked recipes, like granola.  I bought a two pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats at Whole Foods for $4.39. Rolled Oats have a GI of 58. See how I used them in coffeecake.

No comments:

Post a Comment