Spiced Tea Bread with Pluots

It’s hard to let go of summer – the days of more flexible schedules, vacations, and farmers markets at their peak of glory. But by early September I am leaning into fall, dreaming of cooler days, while still relishing in summer produce like – PLUOTS. Pluot season starts in May but can stretch into October. My first pluot was from a southern California farmers market; it was love at first bite. The pluot looks similar to a plum; however it is a cross between a plum and an apricot. Actually a pluot is 70% plum and 30% apricot. The hybrid is the best of both, a juicy, sweet delicious fruit. I came across a recipe for a spiced tea bread with plums in “Eating Well” magazine. The recipe appealed to my seasonal calender that fall is coming and the urge to bake comfort foods like bread. But I still can’t get enough of all the late summer produce!  I tweaked the Eating Well recipe using pluots instead of plums, with a few other minor changes.

Tea breads, also known as quick breads because they require no yeast and rising time.  The tea bread is a vintage English cake that is easy to make, adaptable, and best of all, not too sweet. The spiced tea bread with pluots makes a slightly sweet breakfast treat, or the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea, or even a simple dessert.

Sadly, I have not seen pluots at the farmers’ markets here in Georgia. I purchased pluots for my tea bread at Whole Foods, and they were from California. That said, pluots grow in USDA growing zones 6-9. I live in 7b and plan to plant a pluot tree this fall.

Yes, I continue to hold on to summer, but look forward to fall. It is not too late to enjoy pluot season and lean into the cooler days of fall by baking a spiced tea bread with pluots.

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Spiced Tea Bred with Pluots

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch or Appetizer, Desserts or Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Tea Bread with Pluots

Author: Adapted from "Eating Well" Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 2% milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups ripe pluots, diced
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon demerara sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Generously coat a 8.5-by-4.5 inch nonstick loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, oat flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and salt.

3. In a large wide bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in four additions, mixing after each addition. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

4. Bake the bread for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and turn the loaf out on to a wire cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour before cutting and serving.