This week I discovered a new sweet bread. I first saw it on Forks Over Knives, one of my favorites sites to visit. So I thought I’d test it out in my kitchen. It was created by Kathy Fisher, author of Straight Up Food. Kathy also teaches whole plant-food cooking as we do here at New-Start. I love how many of her desserts are fruit-sweetened. This recipe was easy to make and so delicious! And I loved the lemon flavor. That makes it for me! There’s just something about the fragrance of lemon. I love inhaling it and especially to use it in my baking.
This sweet bread also receives top marks in my book because it has 2 whole grains. That means I’ll be getting plenty of fiber, an essential ingredient for living well naturally. Fiber has so many wonderful benefits. It’s tied to lower cholesterol and blood sugars, successful weight loss and just living longer in general. So, I think this recipe deserves a spot in our list of “food that loves you back.”
One of the grains in Lemon-Poppy Seed Fruit Bread is millet flour. This one may be new to you. It is a gluten-free grain, so if you’re dealing with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, this recipe will work well for you. Millet flour is a great addition to healthy bread and cakes. It’s also high in fiber and protein. You can buy whole millet in most grocery stores or you can order millet flour (which is what I tend to do).
In making Kathy’s sweet bread, I reduced the nuts from 1/2 to 1/3 cup in order to lower the fat and calories. But it was still a delightful rich-tasting bread, even to my nut-loving husband. You can also cook up this recipe in silicone muffin tins or in a non-stick bread pan. Either way, I plan to include these on my holiday table this year and to share it very soon with my New-Start Cooking Club.
Lemon-Poppy Seed Fruit Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup Medjool dates
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/4 cup oat flour can be ground into flour in a blender
- 3/4 cup millet flour can be ground into flour in a blender
- 2 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup ground almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In a small bowl, add the almond milk, dates, and almond extract. Allow the dates to soak for about 15 minutes in order to soften. After soaking, pour this mixture into your blender or food processor and process until smooth and creamy. It is okay to have some pieces of chopped date pieces in the finished batter. They will break down more in baking and will provide a yummy texture in the bread.
- If you're making your own flour, grind the oats and millet (separately) in a high speed blender. I have also used a coffee grinder for grinding small amounts of grains. It works great!
- Mix all the dry ingredients together: oat and millet flour, baking powder, and poppy seeds.
- Spoon the date mixture into the dry ingredients and blend. Then add the lemon juice, zest, and nuts. Stir until all the ingredients are mixed well. You should have a nice, creamy batter.
- Spoon the batter into a non-stick bread pan or line a standard bread pan with parchment paper or a silicone bread baking liner.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 50 minutes until the bread is evenly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let it stand for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan. You will want it to cool somewhat before slicing (15 minutes minimum). Enjoy!
Notes
Almond Health-Bite
Just one handful of almonds (that’s 20 grams to be exact) is an excellent source of vitamin E. This powerful antioxidant improves your blood flow and keeps your immune system and your skin healthy.
