Apricot Sweet Buns

I periodically buy a magazine called Bake From Scratch and subscribe to their Instagram feed. The pictures of their baked goods always has me drooling and I bookmark all the things I want to try.  Then, life gets in the way, and all the things I want to bake don't get baked!  Such is the case with these sweet buns.  They were featured in their magazine earlier in the year and I saved the article. Every now and then I would come across it and think I need to make them. Then I would forget (is that busy or age-related memory issues?) This last week they posted a picture on Instagram and I decided right then and there that I was going to get these made! I'm so glad I did.  As I tell my almost-four year old grandson when we eat something good, these were "yummy, yummy in my tummy!"  They weren't overly sweet but the dough had a wonderful flavor due to the addition of almond extract (love the stuff).  The tanginess of the apricots balances the sweetness of the dough. They were heavenly warm.  I shared the leftovers a few hours later at my granddaughter's soccer game and they were still good.

Don't let the length of the recipe intimidate you.  It is easily broken down into parts, as your time allows.  The apricot filling can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a week. I made the dough and assembled the buns one night while dinner was cooking, then refrigerated them.  The next morning I set them out for their final rise and baked them.  By 9 a.m. we were eating warm buns and enjoying our morning coffee!

The recipe calls for a brown sugar glaze, with the added flavor of vanilla. At first I was going to make a simple confectioners' sugar glaze for them, but decided to stay true to the recipe. The glaze added just enough sweetness, I think the confectioners' sugar glaze would have made them too sweet.

I was raised in California's apricot country. This recipe calls for dried apricots in the filling. Please, please use California dried apricots. They are so much more flavorful than their foreign counterpart and you are helping a California farmer!

Apricot Sweet Buns

1 cup warm whole milk (105 to 110 degrees), divided
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Apricot-Almond Filling (recipe follows)
Brown Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)

In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup  warm milk and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together sugar, melted butter, sour cream, egg, almond extract, and remaining ¼ cup  warm milk.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together 3⅔ cups flour and salt. Stir half of flour mixture into sugar mixture. With mixer on low speed, add yeast mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in remaining flour mixture. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Add remaining ⅓ cup  flour, if needed (dough should not be sticky). Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

 

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Lightly punch down dough. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 21x13-inch rectangle. Spread Apricot-Almond Filling onto dough. Fold dough in thirds, like a letter, creating a 13x7-inch rectangle. Roll dough into a 13x8-inch rectangle. Cut ½ inch off each short end of rectangle. Cut dough into 12 (1-inch) strips. Twist each strip, and tie in a knot, tucking ends under. Place on prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place  until puffed, about 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

 

Bake buns, one batch at a time, until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes, covering with foil halfway through baking to prevent excess browning. Brush buns with Brown Sugar Glaze. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 12 buns.

 

Apricot-Almond Filling

Makes about 1½ cups

 

1 cup  dried apricots

⅓ cup  granulated sugar

1 tablespoon  unsalted butter, cubed

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup  sliced almonds

 

In a small saucepan, bring apricots and enough water to cover by 1 inch to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cook until apricots are softened, about 20 minutes. Drain apricots, reserving 2 tablespoons cooking liquid.

 

In the work bowl of a food processor, place warm apricots, reserved 2 tablespoons cooking liquid, sugar, butter, and cinnamon; pulse until mixture has the texture of jam. Stir in almonds; let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

 

Brown Sugar Glaze

 

 

¼ cup (60 grams) water

¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

 

In a small saucepan, bring ¼ cup water, brown sugar, and vanilla bean and reserved seeds to a boil over medium heat. Remove vanilla bean, and let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

 

The apricot filling spread over the yeast dough.

Fold over into an envelope shape and roll out.



Ready for their final rise. At this point, I covered them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated them overnight.



 

Grilled Summer Salad with Apricot Poppy Seed Dressing

I love apricots!  I grew up in the small central California valley town of Patterson.  At one time, it was the world's largest producing area of apricots.  Times have changed and now almond orchards are abundant, but there are still many apricot orchards in the area. Each year I make multiple batches of apricot jam, as well as apricot pies and crisps (I currently have a box of apricots in my fridge that I am working my way through!)  Apricots have a short season and I try to get in as much of the fruit into my diet as I can while they are in-season. They are a great source of nutrition, especially Vitamin A! I recently ran across a recipe for an apricot poppyseed dressing and knew I needed to try it. We loved it.  Since making this grilled salad I also used the dressing on a spinach salad. It's summertime and we eat a lot of salads this time of year!

The salad is just a mish-mash of grilled ingredients; chicken, corn and apricot halves. To grill the apricots, I brush lightly with olive oil and grilled for just a few minutes, until they are just softened.

Grilled Summer Salad with Apricot Poppy Seed Dressing

3 apricots, pits removed
4 tablespoons sweet yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons poppyseeds

In the jar of a blender, combine the apricots, onion, olive oil, vinegar and honey.  Puree the ingredients until you have a smooth mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the poppy seeds until fully incorporated.

To make the salad, on a bowl or platter, arrange romaine lettuce and top it with grilled chicken, grilled corn, avocado slices, and grilled apricots. Drizzle with the apricot poppy seed dressing.

Fresh Fruit Kuchen

Kuchen is German for cake, usually a cake similar to what most of us call a coffee cake. The classic kuchen is usually made with plum halves that end up sinking into the batter, but other fruits, or a combination of fruit, can be used. This kuchen recipe has a high fruit to batter ratio and is not overly sweet; the fruit is the star of this treat. It is wonderful with a cup of coffee!

My favorite fruit stand had pluots available.  A pluot is a hybrid of a plum and apricot, with about 3/4 plum and 1/4 apricot characteristics.  It has the smooth purple skin that a plum is known for but the flesh has more of an orange tint, like an apricot.  I find them utterly delightful! They were especially good baked in this kuchen.

Fresh Fruit Kuchen

2 pounds Italian purple plums or fresh apricots, halved and pitted, or 3 1/2 pounds very ripe, but firm and good-flavored fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into thick slices **
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons granulated or turbinado (raw) sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the sides and bottom of a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2-inch jelly roll pan (it must have the 1-inch sides).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and cake flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.    Make a well in the center and add the milk, egg, oil, and vanilla.  Beat hard with a whisk until the batter has a stiff, smooth consistency, about 30 seconds.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the batter in an even layer. Arrange the fruit pieces in neat, even rows across and down the batter, as close together as possible, to completely cover the batter, but leaving a 1-inch rim of exposed batter around the edges. If you use two kinds of fruit, alternate the rows. If you use three, alternate sections of the fruit.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  Drizzle with the lemon juice.  Lay a piece of parchment paper loosely over the top, securing the four corners with wooden toothpicks if necessary (this helps cook the fruit more thoroughly rather than having it brown).

Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sides of the cake are golden brown, a cake tester inserted into the side and center comes out clean, and the fruit is cooked and bubbly. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the parchment paper, and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve in squares cut from the pan, warm or at room temperature, dusted with the confectioners' sugar.

**  For ease of peeling the peaches, blanch them in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to a bowl of ice water.  Place each peach on a layer of paper towel and slip off the skin with your fingers or a paring knife.