Apple Apricot Nut Tea Bread

This is a bread! It isn't a cake so don't expect a cake like texture. It's great for slicing, and toasting then spread with butter. Of course, it may also be just spread with butter and eaten with your favorite tea. It's a very mild tasting bread, but also very fragrant.

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cups oatmeal

¼ cup flax meal

1 cup sugar

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup half and half

¾ cup of water

1-2 teabags of peach mango tea

1 egg

Juice ½ lemon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped dried apricots

Upside Down Mixture

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces

½ apple, peeled and cored, sliced into ¼ inch wedges

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions

1.      Line the bottom of a standard sized loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour sides.

2.      Placed sliced apples in a bowl with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and arrange in bottom of pan. Make sure the apples remain within the parchment covered area. Dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside

3.      Bring the water to a boil, pour over chopped apricots, ½ cup sugar, and teabags. Add juice of ½ lemon.  Set aside

4.      Measure flour, oatmeal, flax meal, chopped pecans, salt, remaining ½ cup sugar, baking soda and baking powder

5.      Lightly whisk the ½ cup half and half, yogurt and egg together.

6.      Add the wet mixtures to the dry and mix until just combined. Make sure no islands of dry ingredients remain.

7.      Pour batter into the loaf pan, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 55-65 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Allow to cool and invert bread to cool on a rack.