Apricot Oat Casserole Bread With Sweet Vanilla Glaze

When I’m not composing salads or eating my vegetables, you will often find me baking!

I love to bake.  And I especially love baking bread.

I decided to use dried apricots and this bread is truly delicious.  It’s baked in a casserole dish.  It yields a sweet, crunchy and chewy top.  Though the bread is light and soft.

The star of this bread, both inside and out, are these sweet, plump dried apricots.

Combine them with some toasted oats, honey, butter, eggs, flour and yeast.  It forms a light sticky dough which will rise for an hour.  Punch it down, place it in your greased casserole dish, and let it rise again before baking.

While your bread is baking, whip up a simple glaze of confectioner’s sugar, milk and pure vanilla extract.

Poke holes all over the top of the bread right out of the oven.  Pour the glaze all over and then sprinkle with some sliced almonds and snipped apricots.

Let it cool slightly on a wire rack before slicing.

A savory but slightly sweet treat for breakfast, brunch or snacking!

“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”  John Muir

Apricot Oat Casserole Bread with Sweet Vanilla Glaze #BreadBakers

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  70 mins

Total time:  1 hour 40 mins

Serves: 16 servings

A soft, savory apricot bread with a sweet, crunchy topping.

Instructions

1. Place the oats in a small, non stick frying pan and toast over medium high heat for 2 -3 minutes or until the oats turn golden.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, apricots and boiling water. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the butter, honey and salt and mix well.
4. Cover and set aside until the mixture comes to a lukewarm temperature.
5. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Let stand until the mixture turns foamy.
6. Add the yeast mixture, eggs and 1½ cups of flour to the oat mixture.
7. Beat with the electric mixer on low until just combined and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
8. Return the speed to low, and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time until a soft, sticky dough forms.
9. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
10. Punch the dough down and transfer it to a 3 quart casserole dish which has been sprayed with cooking spray.
11. Cover it again and let it rise until it doubles in size again, about ½ hour.
12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
13. Bake the bread for 30 minutes.
14. Cover with foil and bake for another 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 210 degrees F.
15. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla extract.
16. When the bread is done, remove it from the oven, poke holes over the entire top of the bread.
17. Drizzle the vanilla glaze generously over the top of the bread.
18. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and more chopped apricots.
19. Let the bread cool in the dish for about 15 minutes.
20. Remove the bread from the dish and serve warm.