Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

Unusually for me, I set to and watched the June instalment of Bake with Jack Homebaker's Club almost as soon as it was live.  One of the bakes for June 2026 is the Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf.  Two loaves are made from the 400g flour recipe.  

Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

This morning Mr S and I enjoyed  a fabulous guided tour of Chancellor's Farm by Somerset Wildlife Reserves Manager, James Ozolins and  Kate Lawrence, the Wildlife Trust's tenant farmer, who grazes the land with her herd of Ruby Red Devon cattle.  After a light lunch at home, the afternoon was free so I decided to tackle this recipe. Watching Jack really lifts my mood, and I learnt a few tips along the way.  I was also in between the various stages, working out in the garden.

This loaf is slashed just after shaping, with egg wash  applied just before they go into the oven.  As one loaf is going into the freezer, it didn't get its orange sugar glaze, and I have kept the balance of the glaze to apply when we eat that one at a later date.  As you can see here, I didn't quite get the egg glaze down to the baking sheet level of this loaf.  Tomorrow is Bun Friday, and this is what we shall be having for our breakfast, along with fruit and coffee for me, and tea for Mr S. 

As many of my local friends and others further afield may be aware, over the past couple of weeks there was an 'iced bun story' in the media, following the announcement by local baker Burns the Bread, that they were to call an end to their Iced Buns. Several years ago our WI went for an evening visit to Burns the Bread. Behind the shop front, the bakery, which serves a small number of their local shops, including one in Wells, is situated in a warren of rooms  on the High Street in Glastonbury. We we shown round the bakery, and show various lines of bread being kneaded, and I can confirm that their bread undergoes the long overnight fermentation. We all had a go at making our pasties too.

Yes, I have made iced buns, and they really are delightful when they are fresh.  On our trips out, when passing a good bakery, Mr S's choice is often an iced bun.  Of course he was 'weaned' (not really) on Butter Buns, as he was a Cirencester lad.  Sadly Whiddetts closed, and it is also one of those buns loved by those who knew, that have passed into the annals of time. The lesson both from the passing of Whiddetts and very nearly passing of the Iced Bun from Burns the Bread range, is that unless we buy specialities from good local bakeries, the products and the bakeries may disappear!

Just how do you tell AI that they are wrong when they quote that Butter Buns are coated with caster sugar when it was definitely coated with icing sugar?  All those who loved these buns knew of the techniques for eating these involved avoiding breathing in the fine dust of icing sugar when taking a bite! If you fancy making Butter Buns I wrote about them with my recipe some time back: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2012/07/butter-buns.html

Being a person who likes to get things done, and even if I have to learn how to, I have just contacted AI and effected the change to their description of Whiddetts Butter Buns. I rather enjoyed my various corrections and their response.  How strange: I am communicating with AI as if they were a person, and I must say it is very polite!

One of the original sources for AI's original mistakes was from a Scandinavian source Dan Sukker, which I visited: they have a good range of excellent Scandinavian recipes well worth a try.

If you read this post, why not leave a comment, I would love to hear what your favourite bakes from a craft bakery might be, whether it is a currant/current one or one from years ago.