Hazelnut-Fig Bread with Whole Grains

January 18, 2010 in Allgemein

Hazelnuts, figs, and spelt berries make this bread special.

More hazelnuts and even more bread, you ask? Why, yes! After talking about fruit bread in my last  bread post, I tried to come up with my own recipe for fruit bread. This version makes a wholesome loaf which will keep for a couple of days (and keep you full for a couple of hours). You can top it with jam or vegan cheese, if you like.

This recipe is still a work in progress. I was aiming for a very moist loaf, so I soaked the figs and added some soaked spelt berries to the dough as well. But the bread is not what I was looking for yet, so be prepared to see more fruit breads on this blog. And don’t get me wrong, this version is definitely worth a try. It has a great texture, it is firm and sturdy, but still light. The nuts add a great crunch and the figs some chewyness and of course a slightly sweet flavour.

Hazelnut-Fig Bread with Whole Grains (makes one loaf)

100 g whole spelt berries (or wheat)
100 g water

150 g dried figs (3/4 cup tightly packed)
120 ml (1/2 cup) apple juice

200 g whole wheat flour
200 g water
0.5 g (1/8 t) instant dry yeast

200 g whole wheat flour
3.5 g (1 t) instant dry yeast
10 g salt
1 T sugar
100 g hazelnuts

Coarse spelt meal for sprinkling.

Combine spelt berries and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside. (Don’t drain the grains.)

De-stem and quarter the figs. Combine with apple juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 200 g whole wheat flour 200 ml water and 1/8 t instant dry yeast. Stir well, cover and let sit for two hours.

In a second large bowl, combine remaining flour, instant dry yeast, and sugar. Add grains and their liquid, figs and apple juice, and whole wheat batter. Mix well and knead for ten minutes. Place dough in a bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 250 °C (480°F) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Add the hazelnuts and knead until they are distributed evenly. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured working surface and shape into a loaf. Sprinkle with coarse spelt meal. Transfer to the pan and let rise until doubled (one hour). Transfer to oven, reduce temperature to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Sprinkled with coarse spelt meal.

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