How to Make Nutritious Apricot and Pecan Bread

Wholesome Apricot and Pecan Bread – A Perfect Match

Fruit and nuts work well in relationship to each other making this apricot and pecan bread both nutritious and delicious. This combination appears frequently in sweet bakes like cobbler, fruit bars, or throw a few nuts and dried fruit in oatmeal or breakfast cereal for an explosion of flavor. Intimidated by bread baking? You should read 12 Steps to Perfect Bread article to boost your confidence before getting started.

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Growers harvest stone fruits and tree nuts in late summer to early fall. These ingredients work together in my opinion because they are both from trees and harvested back to back — items harvested about the same time have a natural affinity for one another.

Fruits packed with vitamins and minerals are excellent additions to our diet. Nuts have vitamins, minerals, healthy oils, and protein helping you feel fuller longer. So, fruit and nuts are great additions to nutritional apricot and pecan bread.

Apricot Nutrition

Generally, we seem to underrate apricots in our diet. In reality, they are packed full of Vitamin A, C, fiber, and carotenoids, which are responsible for their characteristic bright orange color. Dry apricots are available the world over which makes this bread easy to prepare in many countries.

Difference in Organic vs. Non-Organic

I recall when staying with our friends in Germany they picked fresh apricots from their garden in the vineyards. They served these juicy, sweet fruits for breakfast with yogurt and muesli. That was a heavenly meal, so simple, yet so satisfying. Our friends are also award-winning brandy producers, including, you guessed it, apricot brandy! But that’s a story for another post.

Here, I offer you a use for dried apricots. If you happen to have an apricot tree, you can dehydrate your own apricots. If not, simply purchase dry apricots online or at a local vendor who sells bulk items, or at your local grocer. In this recipe, I use non-organic dried apricots with sulfites (they retain their bright orange color) because I like the way they look in the finished bread. If you do not want the sulfites, just use organic ones, they will be brown in color, but taste the same. You can not buy organic dry apricots with sulfites.

Appearance of Apricots in My Travels

When I moved to Colorado, the first rental home we lived in had an apricot tree in the garden. What a wonderful bonus! I harvested all the apricots from the tree (with the permission from the landlord) and made wonderful homemade apricot jam. There’s nothing better than homemade jam and of course, I shared it with the landlord and neighbors with fresh bread, which makes it that much sweeter. Love apricots in anything? Try baking my delicious Danish pastry recipe with apricot filling!

Best Breakfast Bread!

I suggest you serve this apricot and pecan bread for breakfast, with a side of honey butter, cinnamon sugar, or sweetened ricotta. Your family will be delighted! And, why not serve it for an appetizer or desert with an accompanying cheese tray and a glass of red wine? Tonight, I will be serving it as a side to a chicken curry. Traditional? Maybe not, but sweet and spicy flavors go well together! You are only limited by your imagination.

Apricot and Pecan Whole Wheat Rustic Bread

Christina

This is a no knead apricot and pecan, whole wheat, rustic bread. The sweetness of the apricots balances nicely with the earthiness of the whole wheat and nuttiness of the pecans. Lovely for breakfast.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Resting Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 9 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 89 kcal

Equipment

• 4 Liter food container (or bowl)
• Cover for container (or plastic wrap)
• Digital Metric Scale
• Banneton (or other proofing dish)
• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

  

• 200 grams Whole Wheat Flour
• 300 grams White Bread Flour 14% protein
• 450 grams Warm Water 90-100 F degrees
• 11 grams Sea Salt
• 1.2 grams Instant Yeast a generous 1/4 teaspoon or scant 1/2 teaspoon
• 70 grams Dried Apricots coarsely chopped
• 50 grams Pecans coarsely chopped

Instructions

 

Scaling

• Measure all ingredients using a digital metric scale.
  

Mixing

• Mix together whole wheat and white flour until thoroughly mixed.
  
• Add warm water (90-100 F degrees).
• Mix together until no dry flour remains and you have a rough dough.
  
• Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flour to autolyze (absorb the moisture).
• After 30 minutes, uncover the dough and sprinkle the top evenly with the sea salt and the yeast.
  
• Pull outside edge of dough and fold over center, do this 4-6 times until yeast and salt are enclosed.
• Using two fingers (like you are making the “OK” symbol) cut through the dough 3 times.
  
• Pull outside edge of dough up, it will not stretch much at this point, and fold over center again, 4-6 times.
• Repeat the last two steps two more times until the salt and yeast are evenly distributed.
• Turn the dough over so the last folds you made are tucked under a loose ball. This dough will need to be folded five times over the next 2-2.5 hours.
  
• Cover the dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Uncover the dough and sprinkled the chopped apricots and pecans over the slackened dough.
  
• Pull outside edges of dough and fold over center, do this 6-8 times until apricots and pecans are enclosed.

  Hint: Every time you fold this dough it will gain elasticity, strength and rise. Pull the dough up and over to achieve maximum stretch without tearing it, this builds the structure to hold the developing carbon dioxide gas.
• Turn the dough over so the last folds you made are tucked under a loose ball.
  
• Wait 30 minutes and perform the last two steps again. You will do this three more times for a total of five folds.

  Hint: These folds can be done every 30 minutes or longer, however, leave dough alone the last hour of the Bulk Fermentation stage before moving on to the Punching/Folding and Dividing stages (see below).

Bulk Fermentation (first rise)

• After five folds, allow dough to rest until doubled in size, 4-6 hours depending on the temperature where the dough rests. Using a clear container allows you to easily see when the dough has risen to double its original size. Mark the outside of the container with a marker or elastic at the desired point.

  Hint: If you are on your way to work and will not return for 6 or more hours, consider retarding the dough in the refrigerator to slow the rise.
  

Punching/Folding

• When dough has doubled in size it will be lofty, with good structure, pecans and apricots evenly distributed, with bubbles on top and inside. Flour a work surface and gently dump dough out. This will achieve "punching" the dough down, or expelling some of the carbon dioxide gas that developed during Bulk Fermentation stage.
  

Dividing

• No need to divide this dough any further as this recipe makes one round loaf.

  Hint: If you want two mini rounds, you could divide the dough in half here by flouring a line down the center of the dough and gently pushing a bench scraper or knife through to divide the dough in two. Do not saw through the dough, this ruins the structure. Continue with next step.
• Next, pull outside edges of dough up (no need to stretch here) and fold over center, 4-6 times.

Pre-shaping or Rounding

• Flip dough over so folds are tucked under a loose ball.
  

Bench Proofing or Resting

• Cover the loose ball with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
  
• Prepare the banneton (if using) with 1-2 Tablespoons of flour. Set aside.

  Hint: If you do not have a banneton (which are costly and not required), simply use a colander or other bowl lined with a very generously floured, clean, linen kitchen towel.

Makeup and Panning

• Uncover the dough ball. Cup hands around the rear of the round shape and drag the dough towards you on the work surface. Turn the dough a quarter of a turn. Gently pick the dough up and place it further away from you again. Repeat four times or as many times as it takes to create a tightly rounded dough ball.

  Hint: You will need a little friction to drag the dough ball to tighten it into a round. If there is no friction, clear the work surface of the majority of flour and try again.
• Once you have a tight dough ball, flour the top of the dough ball. Pick it up by gently by sliding cupped hands under either side of the ball.
  
• Gently lay the ball into the banneton. Cover the banneton with plastic wrap, a plastic bag, or a linen towel.

Proofing (second rise)

• Set the banneton in a warm place to proof. Allow the dough ball to rise until it has relaxed and doubled in size. This may take 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the room temperature.

Baking

• Approximately 45 minutes prior to the second rise being complete, place your Dutch oven onto the middle rack of your oven. Set oven temp to 475 F degrees. Set timer for 45 minutes.
• When timer buzzes, check if your dough has doubled and is ready to be baked.

  Hint: To check if your dough has risen enough, you can perform the poke test. Poke the dough with a floured finger. If the indent springs back quickly, it is not yet ready to be baked. Allow it to continue to rise. If the indent springs back slowly, it is ready to be baked. If the indent does not spring back at all, it is over-proofed.
  
• Pull preheated Dutch oven from the oven and place on a heat resistant surface. Caution! It will be very hot. Remove and set the lid aside.

  Hint: Leave your oven mitt over the lid so you do not accidentally grab it with bear hands when picking up the lid again. Yes! This is experience talking. 😉
• Uncover the dough. Reach your fingers under the formed dough to gently loosen its grip on the Banneton or dish towel. Slightly tip the banneton sideways allowing the dough ball to gently flip upside down into the preheated pan (resulting in the previously folded side facing up). Cover the pan with the lid and return to the oven.

  Hint: You can place the dough directly into the oven without cutting a fancy pattern onto the top of the loaf. The steam will find it's way out and produce a lovely crown. However, if you want to unleash your inner artist, you can create a pattern by slicing the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or lame after flipping it into the hot Dutch oven giving the steam an escape hatch. Be careful not to cut too deep as you will lose some of the carbon dioxide structure.
• Bake at 475 F degrees for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Bake at 475 degrees for an additional 10-15 minutes.

  Hint: The darker the outside caramelization is on the crust, the more flavor your bread will have. I personally like to bake it to a very rich dark brown.

Cooling

• Remove the Dutch oven and set on a heat proof surface.
• Immediately remove the bread from the Dutch oven after baking has finished. Set bread on a cooling rack to allow air flow around the bread. Listen to the symphony of crackling as the crust begins to cool. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes, preferably 30 minutes, before slicing.

  Hint: I know it's hard to wait for that yummy first piece! However, the crumb needs time to cool so it does not get crushed when you try to cut the bread.
  

Storing

• If you do not use this bread immediately, it can be stored in the open air for 8 hours, or even overnight, as long as it is not cut.
• Once the bread has been cut, allow it to cool completely. Store cut side down on a cutting board for up to one day.
• After that time, slice the remaining bread, place slices in an airtight bag, and freeze the slices. Warm each slice in a toaster before eating.

Notes

Alternatives: Only your imagination holds you back here!  Try substituting other dried fruit and nut combinations in this recipe like dates and pistachios, cherries and hazelnuts, raisins (sultanas) and almonds, cranberries and walnuts, etc. 

Post in comments below what wonderful combination you came up with and how did you serve it?!  I would love to hear about your bread baking.

Keyword breakfast bread, fruit and nut bread, no knead, rustic