Absolutely Apricot Bread

This bread machine loaf does triple duty on the apricot front: chopped dried apricots get folded into the dough for chewy, jewel-bright pockets, apricot preserves sweeten the whole thing, and a half-tablespoon of applesauce keeps the crumb tender without adding more sugar.

The applesauce is the move that separates this from a standard sweet bread machine loaf. Applesauce carries pectin and fruit sugars that bond with the gluten as the dough mixes, giving you a softer texture and a slightly longer shelf life than butter or oil would provide alone.

Loading the ingredients in the right order matters more than people realize. Wet ingredients (water, applesauce, preserves) go in first, dry ingredients on top to keep them separated, with the yeast tucked into a flour well so it doesn’t touch the salt or liquids until the machine starts mixing.

Pro Tips

• Soak the dried apricots in 2 tablespoons of warm water for 10 minutes before adding, plumped apricots stay tender in the finished loaf instead of going chewy and tough
• Use Turkish or California dried apricots for the brightest flavor and color, sulfured apricots stay vivid orange in the bread
• Add the apricots through the fruit/nut dispenser if your machine has one, or wait for the beep to add them mid-knead
• Three teaspoons of salt feels like a lot but it’s correct, salt slows the yeast from over-rising and keeps the apricot flavor in balance
• Slice the loaf only after it has cooled completely, hot apricot bread tears under a knife

Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon of cardamom or 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest for a fragrant Middle Eastern lean
• Stir ⅓ cup of toasted slivered almonds into the dough for crunch against the chewy fruit
• Swap apricot preserves for orange marmalade and dried apricots for chopped figs for an entirely different fruit profile