Soft and Fluffy Bread

I can not believe how soft and fluffy this bread is!

The recipe starts like any standard white bread recipe. Of course, the biggest difference is using hot apricot juice instead of milk.

The juice gives a hint of apricot flavor throughout the bread. It is very mild, but just enough of the apricot flavor.

The diced apricots give you little bursts of fruit throughout each slice.

The rise on the bread was wonderful. As usual, I made the bread on laundry day. The heat and moisture from the dryer helps give you the perfect conditions for making bread. This is especially helpful as I have a door on my laundry room. I get to close the door and let the yeast do its magic.

The second rise was even better than the first. The loaves were falling out of the pans.

I think the fabulous rise was part of what made the bread so fluffy.

There are two different types of bread. Those that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Then there are those, like this one, that are soft and squeezable like pillows. There was no hard crust, just soft goodness.

I am very impressed with this bread. I think I might be making some French toast with it latter this week!

APRICOT WHITE BREAD

2 Packages Active Dry Yeast

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water

1 Cup Strained Apricot Juice

1 Can Apricots, Diced Fine

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt

3 Tablespoons Shortening

7 Cups Flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt, and shortening to hot juice; let cool to lukewarm. Combine with yeast. Add 4 cups flour, beating until smooth, then work in about 3 more cups of flour. At this state the dough is somewhat sticky and rough looking. Mix in diced apricots. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Form into a ball and set in a large, greased bowl. Grease the top of the dough and cover the bowl with a cloth. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Test by pressing finger deeply into dough; if indentation remains, the dough has risen sufficiently. Punch down, let rest 10 minutes. Cut in half and shape into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Brush tops with melted fat and over with a clean towel. Again let rise until doubled, about 50 minutes. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from pans at once and allow to cool before slicing.