Spiced Plum Bread

Several years back, Micah planted an orchard behind our house.

One does have to practice patience for a few years after planting a fruit tree.

But we have put in our time, and it is so satisfying to now have fresh fruit right out our back door!

Today the children and I were out on a nature walk, so we stopped by the orchard to pick out some plums.

We found enough to do some afternoon baking.

I remembered I had a recipe for spiced plum bread that I was in the mood to try.

Would you like the recipe?

It turned out really delicious! I think you'll like it.

The house was bright with afternoon sunlight, and cool from a nice breeze blowing in through my screens... All my 'work' was complete for the day, and I had a CD of piano solos playing throughout the house...

The perfect baking conditions.

"My kitchen is a lovely place,

any time of day.

Dishes dry on linen cloth,

a pink and red bouquet.

The floor is swept, the curtains crisp,

my apron's on the hook.

I fill the kettle at the sink

and give it one last look."

~ Susan Branch

Well, I wasn't filling a kettle at the sink, but I did feel just as cheerful about washing up the plums and getting started on my bread...

We had plum trees in the yard of my childhood home, and I remember those being purple.

I don't know why these are red.

They taste just like regular plums.

I noticed today when I was washing them that they are heart-shaped.

Isn't that precious!

I made sure to show Nola.

She gets a kick out of this sort of thing, too.

I like to measure all my ingredients out first before I begin mixing anything together.

I noticed the recipe didn't call for any butter!

It had me use a half of a cup of honey, instead.

I chopped my plums...

And then was ready to make the batter!

Always mix the wet ingredients first...

Then slowly incorporate the dry into the wet...

It looked like this before I folded in the nuts and plums...

I was worried the batter was too dry, so I didn't use the full cup of pecans.

(I've learned through years of making banana bread, that too many nuts can dry out the batter.)

I used my best judgment, and this was what I had leftover...

I poured the mixture evenly among two loaf pans, and placed them in the oven.

I had the thought while doing this, that children can sometimes be picky about chunks.

I wondered if pureeing the plums would be a good and more kid-friendly option.

I decided to take note of how my children responded to this batch.

I can always remember to try a puree with this recipe next time.

The loaves came out of the oven looking like this...

The house smelled absolutely divine!

(I think it was the cinnamon and cloves.)

I couldn't wait to try a piece!

But I let it cool for a few minutes and steeped some tea...

I made sure to try it warm, and covered in a good slab of butter...

By the time my tea was ready and I carried everything over to the table to sit down, the butter had completely melted into the bread...

~ Yum! ~

It's a dense but delicious and sweet bread...

I look forward to having it in the morning for our breakfast.

I think I'll make scrambled eggs to go with it!

We have a relaxing weekend ahead of us.

We plan to take the kids over to the lake for a hike on some favorite trails.

Then over to a tiny cafe that's also a candy shop for lunch.

(It's a family tradition of ours. After lunch we let the kids each pick out a small piece of candy to enjoy on the ride home.)

It is also a dear friends' birthday, so I plan to visit her.

I picked up a small gift that I will be sure to bring along.

But of course, a weekend wouldn't be wonderful without a heavy dose of time at home.

"There is nothing like staying home for true comfort."

~ Jane Austen 

Be sure to let me know if you try my spiced plum bread recipe!

And whatever you do this weekend, I hope it is lovely.

xo,

~ Courtney ~