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| Aunt Edith's Banana Bread Recipe (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Hazelnuts are popular in French and Italian baking, and also known as filberts, these round nuts encased in a hard shell have a delightful crunch and rich, buttery flavor that shine in quick loaf breads, especially in combination with dried fruits. Hazelnuts have a thin inner skin that can be removed, if desired. Bake the nuts on a baking sheet in preheated 325oF (165oC) oven, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. While the nuts are still warm, wrap in a coarse-textured kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove most of the skins.
22
dried apricot halves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (3 oz/90 g) dried currants
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) boiling water
3 cups (16 oz/470 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup (7 oz/220 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or hazelnut oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cups (11 fl oz/345 ml) buttermilk
1 cup (4 oz/125 g) hazelnuts, chopped
Here's how:
Put the apricots and currants in a bowl. Add the boiling water. Set aside at room temperature and let cool to lukewarm, about hour.
Preheat the oven to 350oF (180oC). Grease and flour four 6-by-3 ½ -inch (45-by-9-cm) loaf pans or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter, eggs and buttermilk. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the apricots and currants with their liquid and the hazelnuts. Beat just until blended and the fruits and nuts are evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake until the tops are browned and firm and the loaves begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, 45-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf should come out clean. Immediately unmold the loaves unto wire racks and let cool completely. Wrap the loaves tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 4 days. Cut into thick slices and serve.
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