this is known as "peach bread" in Baltimore and tho it's not really
"bread", it's good, IMHO. I thought I'd share this with you...it's from a
newspaper that has long since gone down the tubes (yes, the same one the
strawberry bread recipe came from) and there's no author....
Peach Bread
(makes 2 breads)
Dough
1 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup of sugar
(the recipe states you can double the sugar for a sweeter dough, but IMHO 1/4
cup is just fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup softened butter/margarine/shortening
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups of flour (depends on the humidity)
filling
4 to 6 fresh ripe peaches, washed and thinly sliced, unpeeled
(you can peel them if the skins are really thick or you're allergic to the
fuzz)
1/2 - 1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
lemon or orange juice (about 1/4 cup) to sprinkle on fruit
glaze (optional)
1/3 cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon hot water
mix the milk, sugar, salt and yeast, stirring until the yeast is dissolved.
Stir in the egg and butter. Add half of the flour and mix well. Add the
remaining flour and mix until dough begins to pull away from the side of the
bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until blistered (their term -
I knead it for about 5 minutes or so). Place in a greased bowl, turning
once to coat. cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until
doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down, let rise again until almost double, about 45 minutes. Divide
dough in half and press into 2 greased 8 inch square cake pans.
Arrange the sliced peaches, overlapping one another in straight rows. To
keep the peaches from turning black, sprinkle with lemon or orange juice.
Sprinkle this with the mixture of cinnamon and confectioners sugar. cover
and let rise until double in bulk, about 30 minutes.
Bake in a 400F oven for about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
(a favorite in Baltimore) or add the glaze as soon as it is taken from the
oven.
I keep what's leftover (which usually isn't much) in the fridge to keep the
peaches from spoiling...
_enjoy_
Robin