Sunday, January 5, 2014

Downton Day

With the season 4 premiere of Downton Abbey on PBS tonight, I decided I would channel my inner Mrs. Patmore and bake up some Apricot-Almond bread. Moosewood describes it as “ideal for brunches and teas”, so it seemed especially appropriate for the occasion. It’s a light and sweet dessert that toes the line between bread and cake. It also takes an incredibly long amount of time, not just to bake (60 minutes!), but also to prepare. But it’s worth the wait.

            To start with you have to boil the dried apricots to soften them up. Then you mix in the dry ingredients along with honey, flavorings, and egg. The dough is incredibly sticky, due to the honey, but also chunky with the almonds and dried apricots. The final product is kind of lumpy and misshapen, even with the pan as a guide. Mine came out a bit dry, especially on the edges, but still quite yummy. It’s just the right amount of sweet and the apricot bits are wonderful little treats.

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