Vanilla Honey Peach Butter and Almond Sandwich Bread

And in that quest to use up all the peaches on our counter, peach butter came to mind. Since I was already canning, why not keep going and do even more? Dedicate one afternoon to it! To me…if you are going to get all hot n’ sweaty, why do it multiple times? 😉 This was an easy recipe to make, although it is a bit on the sweet side. It didn’t need as much of the sugar as called for, but that may have been because how ripe my peaches were.

Vanilla Honey Peach Butter

Ingredients:

• 18 ripe peaches, about 6 to 7 pounds
• ¼ cup water
• 2¼ cups granulated sugar, preferably organic
• ¾ cup raw honey, preferably locally sourced
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Jars & Lids –

Wash and rinse the jars; put them into a big stockpot; cover the jars with water and bring to a boil; turn off the heat. Let stand in hot water until you are ready to fill.

Wash the bands and lids, bring a saucepan of water to boil, add them let sit until you are ready to screw them on the jars. (Use new lids each time, bands can be reused.)

For the peaches and cooking –

Rinse the peaches off, removing the fuzzy layer. Peel, quarter and pit. Roughly chop, add to a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, lower to medium. Simmer covered for 15 minutes until fork tender. Take off the stove and use a stick blender to puree.

Return to the stove, add sugar, honey and vanilla. Return to a boil, turn down to medium and simmer uncovered until it is very thick (mounds on a spoon). How long will this take? Anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes. It depends on how juicy the peaches are. Mine were very ripe and juicy, I cooked mine for about 40 minutes.

Be wary during the cooking, it can splatter. A fry mesh guard over the pot may be useful, but otherwise be wary and keep children/pets out of the kitchen.

To preserve –

Empty the water out of your jars, fill to ¼” of the top (a sterilized canning funnel works great). Wipe the rims with a new damp paper towel, removing any spilled jam, especially on the rim.

Place a lid on top and tighten a band around each jar, place them into a pot of boiling water (such as a canning pot), using a canning rack to lower in. Make sure all jars are upright and that jars are fully submerged, with at least 2″ of water above.

Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Take out carefully using a jar lifter or tongs. Have a clean kitchen towel on the counter, place each jar on it and let cool for at least 6 hours, overnight is better. Listen for the “popping sound” and keep track of how many times you hear it. Check after cooling that the lid is firm when pressed on, if it pops up and down, it isn’t sealed. If that happens, refrigerate that jar and use within a couple of weeks.

Once cooled, store the jars in a pantry for up to 12 months. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use up within 3 to 4 weeks.

Makes about 9 8-ounce jars.

Note: Do NOT give honey to infants under a year!!

Yesterday I made this loaf of gluten-free bread to go with a pot of vegetable soup we had for dinner. Monday night I somehow chipped off part of a wisdom tooth’s filling, on my lower jaw. Due to that no crunchy foods or much chewing. With my schedule I can’t be seen till later today, when hopefully I can get it filled again. I still have 3 of my wisdom teeth because they are being saved to harvest later. I still have two more dental implants to be done and I need to have bone grafting done on them. So I need to keep my “donors” healthy! The tooth doesn’t hurt, it is sharp though and is cutting my tongue. And I miss crunchy vegetables, thankyouverymuch!

The bread was a highlight. It also works as a sandwich bread for mini sammies. To the naysayers that claim one must use blanched fine ground almond flour…pfffftttt. I used the ground almond meal/flour that Trader Joe’s sells. The skins are good for us and give lovely speckles to baked goods. Always go whole if you can. Sure it might taste more “rustic” but hey, rustic means you are getting it all 😉

Almond Bread

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups almond meal/flour
• ¾ cup arrowroot powder
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 4 large eggs, preferably locally sourced
• 1 tsp raw honey, preferably locally sourced
• 1 tsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, liberally oil a bread pan (I used one that is a bit smaller than a regular bread pan, sized for quick breads), think 7″ long by 3 or so inches wide. You may want to line it with a strip of parchment paper for easier removal.

Whisk the almond flour, arrowroot, flaxmeal, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl.

Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl. With a hand beater, beat on low for 3 minutes. Add in the honey and vinegar.

With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, beat until mixed.

Scrape into the prepared pan, level out.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit for 5 minutes, run a butter knife around the edges and turn out. Let cool before slicing.

~Sarah