Quick& Easy Apricot Bread

A full pound of dried apricots goes into this bread, and you can taste every bit of it. The fruit gets cooked first with water, sugar, shortening, and warm spices until everything melts together into a thick, fragrant base. That cooked fruit mixture IS the batter once you fold in the flour and eggs.

The cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg come through strong here. This isn’t a subtle quick bread. The spice hits your nose before the loaf even comes out of the oven, and the apricot pieces stay soft and jammy throughout the crumb.

The recipe makes two loaves, so you’ve got one to eat now and one to wrap up and share (or freeze for later).

Kitchen Tips

• Cut the dried apricots into small, uniform pieces before cooking. Larger chunks won’t distribute evenly through the batter.
• Let the cooked apricot mixture cool completely before adding the eggs. Hot batter will scramble them.
• Check the loaves at 50 minutes. Every oven runs differently, and the high sugar content means they can go from golden to burnt quickly.
• The bread slices cleanest after cooling completely. Warm slices will crumble.

Variations

• Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter for crunch.
• Replace half the apricots with dried cranberries for a tart-sweet twist.
• Brush the warm loaves with an apricot glaze (heat apricot jam with a splash of water) for a glossy finish.