When Bec chose dried figs as the ingredient of the month, I was super excited as I have meant to try a fig bread that would be ideal for a breakfast treat.
The reason I mention calories is that I am sure there is nothing low calorie about this bread or jam, but it is packed with nutrients like the potassium which is found in figs, and the recipe also has lots of fibre which will leave you feeling satisfied for hours.
I really enjoyed creating this recipe, and there was something incredibly satisfying about watching the dough rise and kneading the bread. The end result was amazing!
Lara Flanagan
Yields hearty sized loaf with perhaps a dozen slices
Vegan, dairy-free, vegetarian fig bread that would be ideal for a breakfast treat.
1 hr, 30 Prep Time
40 minCook Time
2 hr, 10 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 5 cups of flour + extra for kneading
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 x 7 gram sachets of dry yeast
- 2 ½ cups of warm water
- 300 grams of dried figs
- 200 grams of walnuts
- 100 grams of pistachios
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon of dried ginger
- ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 2 fresh figs
Instructions
- Combine the water, dry yeast and maple syrup in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes until it is bubbling.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, spices and salt.
- Add the yeast mixture and mix everything with either a dough hook on your mix master, or your hands until you have a sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a tea-towel and allow to rise for at least an hour.
- Cut the dried figs into small pieces, ensuring you remove the central stalk.
- Roughly chop the walnuts and pistachios.
- Prepare a loaf tin with olive oil and flour.
- Pre-heat your oven ot 180 degrees Celsius.
- After an hour check the dough which hopefully should have doubled in size. Add the chopped figs and walnuts and combine until distributed throughout the dough.
- If mixture remains sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until able to knead.
- Knead on a floured surface for at least 5 minutes.
- Put in baking tin, decorate with slices of fresh figs.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 160 degrees Celsius and bake for another 35 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin
People often ask me the calorie count of my recipes. To be honest, I have no idea, and I am not really interested. Rather than counting calories, I would rather focus on the nutrients and quality of ingredients.
I also think that it is really important that the food you eat is satisfying to the eye and to the tummy.
If you focus on all those things, rather than calories, you will find that you are eating well and don’t have to worry about them.
We all know people who have followed a calorie controlled diet for a certain period of time, and as soon as the period is over they rush out to find the biggest hamburger they can find!
Fig Jam
Serves: Enough condiment for one loaf of bread
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Vegan, dairy-free, vegetarian
Ingredients
- 270 grams of dried figs
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
Instructions
Combine the water, lemon juice and sugar, stir with a spoon.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
- Chop figs into small pieces removing the central stem
- Add the fennel seeds and figs to water and allow to simmer for up to 20 minutes when the mixture should be thick and ‘jammy’.
- If the mixture is too thick, add water, one tablespoon at a time and stir until it has desired consistency
Serve jam on thick slices of the fig bread – it is beautifully toasted. A lovely breakfast treat!
Courtesy of Lara Flanagan.
Lara is the author of My Notes from New England, a blog that takes a humorous look at the adventures of a single mum with two young twins who enjoys cooking, eating well, living in the country and travelling the world looking to inspire and be inspired.
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