Dried fruit & nut loaf is a great recipe to have in your breakfast repertoire. On days when you don’t want to go all out with pancake bombs and you want something a little healthier than chocolate and cranberry scones, this reliable vegan loaf is the way to go. It packs a lot of punches. There’s satiety from rolled oats, warmth from cinnamon, crunch from pecans and pepitas, and sweetness from honey and figs. Don’t underestimate the figs in this dried fruit bread — when diced and distributed throughout the loaf, they are the perfect sweetener! Overall, I think this is the best breakfast loaf. It’s yummy, it’s hearty; what’s not to like?
Dried Fruit & Nut Loaf
Course: Breakfast, DessertCuisine: American12
servings45
minutes1
hourIngredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk of choice
1 medium banana, mashed
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup pecans
6-7 figs, chopped finely* (see notes)
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup pepitas
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a loaf pan.
- Add oats and milk to a large mixing bowl and stir. Then let soak for at least 30 minutes. Once the oats have soaked, add banana mash, vinegar, honey, and vegetable oil to the mixing bowl and stir again. Finally, add water gradually while stirring again.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add this gradually to the wet ingredients while stirring. Then add pecans, chopped figs, cranberries, and pepitas and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. I advise tenting the top of the pan with foil around 30 minutes in to prevent the top from browning too quickly. Let the loaf cool before slicing, then enjoy!
Notes
- We like Smyrna figs, but feel free to use your figs of choice!
- Try to get the loaf in the oven as soon as possible after adding dry ingredients to wet. The baking soda and vinegar react in the oven to make the bread rise, but the longer you let the bread sit out before baking, the less effective the reaction is and the less the bread will rise.
- I’ve said it before but don’t skimp on the figs!! They are the highlight of the loaf and are actually the main sweetener.
This recipe was adapted from Vegan Bunny Chef’s Oatmeal Fruit & Nut Cake.
