When I was a child I spent my afternoons playing in my grandmother’s garden. It was a magical wonderland covered in green grass and surrounded by vibrant flowers - and right in the middle, at the center of everything, was an apricot tree. I can still smell the heady scent of fresh, delicious fruit just waiting to be picked. On sunny days I would spread a blanket beneath its branches and cuddle up with a good book, then pick an apricot or two for snacking between chapters. The afternoons I spent under this tree are some of my fondest childhood memories. What are yours?
Given my love of apricots it’s no surprise that I like to bake them into things. Pastries. Cookies. Breads. It’s all good! They add a subtle sweetness to food that I think is simply delightful. So when I was working on a batch of ‘chocolate chunk challah’ this weekend and happened to glance at the jar of dried apricots sitting on the counter I figured: why not?
Chocolate & Apricot Challah
When I told my husband what I was doing he, being a challah purist, was a little taken aback. He really didn’t see the point of adding extra things to a bread that is delicious on it’s own. Still, even he had to admit that the combination of diced apricots and chocolate produced marvelous results. It goes exceptionally well with a hot cup of coffee or tea, especially in the early morning.
The recipe below is based on the ‘chocolate chunk challah’ recipe in The Essence of Chocolate. Modifications include the addition of dried fruit and a change in the required baking time. During the second rising the braided dough is washed a few times with a beaten egg, then generously dusted with sugar just before baking. I’ll be posting one more recipe from this book, along with a review, next week. You can pick which one it is by voting in the poll on the sidebar. 
