This Apricot Raisin Bread features a soft white bread filled with a generous amount of dried apricots and raisins. It makes delicious toast!
If you live in Canada, you've probably heard of Cob's Bread. They have locations in most provinces, and some in New York and Connecticut. My nearest one is just a few blocks away, right beside my library branch.
There are several items at Cobs that I like, but one of my favorites is their Apricot Delight bread. The bread features a generous portion of dried apricots, raisins, and currants, and comes in three forms - a loaf, a log (I think this is a smaller, more rustic-shaped free-form loaf), and rolls.
The fruity bread is especially delicious toasted, with honey, peanut butter, cinnamon sugar, or just butter. In true Domestic Dreamboat style, I decided to create my own version: Apricot Raisin Bread.
This wasn't my first attempt. I first tried a few years ago, but I didn't add enough apricots and raisins, and forgot about trying again until recently. This time I stepped up my dried fruit game, and based the bread portion of the recipe on my Dinner Rolls, since that worked out so well for my recent Overnight Sticky Buns. I'm happy to report that this time was successful, and now you too can be eating delicious fruit-filled toast for breakfast.
How to make Apricot Raisin Bread
Start making this fruit-filled bread by preparing the fruit you'll be adding to the dough. If your apricots and/or raisins are old and dry, I recommend soaking them in boiling water for at least 15 minutes first. Since they will absorb some of the water and swell a little bit, measure the fruit after soaking if you need to use this step.
Once your fruit is softened up, cut the apricots into pieces that are about the same size as raisins. Set the fruit aside for now while you start the dough.
If you're using regular active yeast, proof it in a bowl of warm water and sugar (or milk if you don't have powdered milk). Meanwhile, start mixing up the dry ingredients - all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, powdered milk, and salt - in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Once the yeast is puffy, stir the remaining sugar, canola oil, and egg into it. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, then turn the mixture on low speed and mix until the dough forms a ball that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, adding additional flour one Tablespoon at a time, if needed. Add the fruit to the dough and mix again until it's evenly incorporated.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead by hand a few times until it forms a ball. Place the dough ball into a lightly greased bowl, and cover with a lid, a damp towel, or plastic wrap. Leave the bowl in a warm spot to rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and turn it onto the countertop again. Divide the dough into two equal pieces (use a kitchen scale to be precise). Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into a square that is the same size as the length of your loaf pan (an 8-8.5" square).
Starting from the bottom, tightly roll the dough up as if you were making cinnamon buns, and pinch the seam closed. Place the roll of dough in the greased loaf pan, seam side down. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Cover the pans, and let rise in a warm spot again, for about 30 minutes.
When the dough has risen (it should be at least to the top of the pan), prepare an egg wash and gently brush the top of each loaf with it. Place both loaves into the oven and bake until the centers of the loaves measure 190°F on an instant-read thermometer and the tops are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing.
Store the bread in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for a longer period of time. Avoid storing bread in the fridge as it causes it to dry out and go stale. This bread is best when used for toast.
Apricot Raisin Bread Ingredients
- Lukewarm water - warm cold tap water in the microwave or on the stove to approximately 100°F
- Granulated sugar
- Active dry yeast or instant yeast - active dry yeast needs to be proofed with warm water and a bit of sugar. Instant yeast doesn't, and can be added directly with the flour.
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour - this is optional. If you want your Apricot Raisin Bread to be white with no whole wheat flour, feel free to skip it and replace with an equal amount of additional all-purpose flour.
- Skim milk powder - if you don't have skim milk powder, you can skip it and replace the water (see above) with an equal amount of milk.
- Salt
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil
- Large eggs - you will need a large egg for the bread dough, and you will need a second egg to make an egg wash to brush on the top of the dough (this makes the top of the bread shiny).
- Dried apricots - try to use fresh, soft dried apricots. If yours are old and dried out, you can soak them in hot water to soften before adding them to the dough. If you do this, measure the apricots after soaking.
- Raisins - I used a mix of sultanas and golden raisins, but any raisins will work here. As with the apricots, use fresh raisins if possible, or soak them to soften if needed.
- Milk - You only need a little milk to make an eggwash. You can replace with a dairy-free milk alternative, or even water if you don't have any.
Want more bread recipes?
Apricot Raisin Bread Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one slice if bread, if you cut each loaf into 15 slices. If you slice your bread much thinner or thicker than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
To make this bread dairy-free, replace the water in the recipe with a dairy-free milk alternative and omit the skim milk powder. Use water or a dairy-free milk alternative for the egg wash.
Apricot Raisin Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional
- 2 8.5x4.5" Loaf Pan (aka 1 pound loaf pan)
- Bench Scraper optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar plus ½ teaspoon
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus another ¼ cup as needed
- ½ cup whole wheat flour optional - see note
- ¼ cup skim milk powder see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ Tablespoons canola oil or other neutral flavored oil
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 cups dried apricots chopped into pieces about the same size as the raisins (see note)
- 1 cup raisins (see note)
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Dissolve ½ teaspoon of the sugar in 1 cup (237 g) lukewarm water. Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons (4 g) active dry yeast on top of the water and let stand for 10 minutes. If you're using instant yeast, skip this step and add the yeast with the flour in the next step.
- Meanwhile, whisk 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour, ¼ cup (30 g) skim milk powder , and 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer that is fitted with a dough hook.
- When the yeast becomes puffy in the warm water, stir it up, then stir in the 2 Tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar, 1 ½ Tablespoons (21 g) canola oil or other neutral flavored oil, and the lightly beaten egg. Turn the stand mixer on low speed, and slowly pour the water mixture into the flour mixture. Continue to mix until the dough forms a cohesive ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, scraping down the sides frequently. If the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add another ¼ cup of the flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, ensuring that all the flour has been incorporated before adding any more.
- Add the chopped dried apricots and 1 cup (145 g) raisins to the mixer and continue mixing until they are evenly incorporated (note that if you had to soak your fruit before adding, and the fruit made your dough too sticky again, you can add up to ¼ cup additional flour to get it back to the right texture).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and lightly knead the dough a few times until it forms a neat ball. Place the ball into a lightly floured bowl or container and cover with a lid, a damp towel, or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- While you're waiting for the dough to rise, prep two 8.5x4.5 inch (1 pound) loaf pans by lightly greasing them with oil or butter. Set aside.
- Punch the dough down and turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut it into two equal pieces (use your kitchen scale to be accurate).
- Lightly stretch and press each piece of dough into a square that is about the same size (or slightly smaller than) the length of the loaf pans (aim for an 8-8.5 inch square). Roll the dough into a tight log (as if you were making cinnamon buns) pressing the seam closed. Place the logs seam-side-down in the loaf pans.
- Cover the pans with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise again for about 30 minutes until the dough is puffy.
- Move oven rack to the lower-middle position and turn the oven on to 350°F.
- Whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon milk. Gently brush the tops of both pieces of dough lightly with the egg mixture (save the remaining egg mixture for baking or use it to make scrambled eggs). Bake the loaves until a thermometer inserted into the center measures 190°F and the tops are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove the loaves from the pans (run a knife around the edges if they're not releasing easily) and cool to room temperature on a wire rack to room temperature before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
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