I wanted to call this loaf a 'Christmas Spiced Bread' but that sounded like I added Christmas to it, which with all the spices I basically did, but I decided to name this one a Spiced Christmas Bread instead.
This bread has all of the best winter cozy spices like allspice, clove, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, and probably also something else I'm forgetting. At the last minute I added a mix of dried fruits and nuts to the batter and oh my I'm so happy I did, you guys! It wouldn't be the same without those. The nuts give it a crunch and the fruits an extra flavor and sweetness.
If you also want to make some banana bread, you can try my Healthy Banana Bread recipe! That one has eggs in it but I'm going to post a vegan Gingerbread Banana Bread next week so stay tuned for that, it's gonna be a good one! I honestly can't choose which bread I like more. This spiced one or the gingerbread one. It's almost the same recipe actually! I just tweaked this one a bit and added the nuts, dried fruit, and different spices. This bread is also full of hemp seeds which give an extra protein boost.
This spiced bread is dense but soft and fluffy and you would've never guessed it's vegan and gluten-free if I didn't tell you. Plus, when you put all the ingredients in a bowl together, it looks so prettyyyyyy. Just look at it! I feel like cooking is such art sometimes all the time. I find such joy in mixing and stirring and pouring and cooking and baking and creating. You get me, right? Even if you work full time during the holidays, it's important to find small moments of joy spent in the kitchen creating something delicious. It's almost therapeutic, a kind of a meditation for me even. When I'm cooking, I'm concentrating on the moment, on cutting the onions or mixing the dough or whatever else I'm doing and listening to the sounds of the food cooking on the stove. That's what meditation basically is, right? It's about paying attention to the present moment and who says you have to sit straight on a yoga mat to meditate properly? Make it yours!
I actually wanted to make a spiced christmas bread with walnuts only but I could not find walnuts anywhere. It was like they fell off the face of the earth. Sooo I ended up using pecans instead and the recipe turned out even better with those. YAY!! You can still use walnuts, though, they're also totally awesome in this recipe. Next time I want to do a mixture of both to make it extra special.
Whether you end up adding walnuts or pecans, I really hope you enjoy this recipe and if you do don't forget to let me know ;) Have a great start of December guys and I'll see you with another post on Friday!<3
📖 Recipe
Spiced Christmas Bread with Nuts and Dried Fruit
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Baking
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon buckwheat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground star anise
- ½ tsp ground fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 2-3 dates, pitted and chopped (the drier kind, not Medjool)
- 2 dried apricots, chopped
- 2 dried plums, chopped
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp raisins
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (or sub walnuts)
- 2 flax eggs (see notes on how to make this)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon almond milk
- ¾ cup apple puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil (plus more greasing)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 175C (347F) and lightly grease a loaf tin.
- In a big bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except the dried fruit and nuts.
- Add the nuts and dried fruit and mix to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, mix all the liquid ingredients - flax eggs, almond milk, apple puree, maple syrup, and coconut oil.
- Pour all that into the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and top with oats, hemp seeds, raisins, and pecans if desired.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Take the loaf out of the oven and let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.
- Remove it from the tin and cool completely before slicing (or at least for as long as your patience lets you).
- Store at room temperature for 3-4 days.
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candy says
I remember christmas breads growing up, making some of or all of these would bring back some great memories in my moms kitchen. I can smell the goodness already.
thehealthfulideas says
That sounds so lovely! :) I love making foods that I know from childhood as it always brings back great memories
Marie says
Looks very heart healthy. I would love to eat this in the morning with my coffee.
thehealthfulideas says
It really is! I love sipping tea and eating this bread in the morning, it's so Christmas appropriate<3
Tammy says
Wow...does this bread ever look amazing! I am printing the recipe now!!!
thehealthfulideas says
Yay I'm so glad you like it, Tammy! :)
chrissy says
YUM!!! this looks amazing!
thehealthfulideas says
Thank you so much! :)
Hetal says
such pretty photos!i've actually never bade a loaf of gingerbread- but i'm kinda feeling like I need to now!
thehealthfulideas says
Thank you so much! Gingerbread bread is the best<3
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
I could see myself with a big slice of this bread and a cup of coffee on Christmas morning! Looks incredible :)
thehealthfulideas says
Ahh that sounds so cozy! :)
Katharine says
The recipe looks and sounds delicious. I've been in a search to find some healthier bread recipes. Putting this on my list of recipes to try this Christmas!
thehealthfulideas says
Oh yay I'm glad to hear that you're looking for healthier options! :) Thank you!
Kristine-Bites of Flavor says
WOW this sounds seriously delicious!! I love dried fruit and adding to bread is a great idea! This would be a great gift to give someone!
thehealthfulideas says
Definitely! DIY gifts you can eat are the best! :)
Shannon says
Oh yum! Get in my belly!
thehealthfulideas says
Right?! It definitely disappeared quickly haha
Jazz says
This looks scrumptious--I never would have guessed it was vegan and gluten-free! Also, your photography is gorgeous. :)
thehealthfulideas says
Thank you so much, Jazz! :)
Ginger says
This bread turned out so awesome! I baked it the same day I saw the recipe as I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. I was so impressed with how high it rose and how beautiful the crumb is. I did double the fruit and nuts and swapped out the fennel seed for anise seed as well as used whole eggs instead of flax eggs. I can't wait to make this again, possibly into muffins for portability. Thanks so much for such a lovely recipe. Gluten free is hard to get right and you totally nailed it with this.
thehealthfulideas says
That's amazing! Thank you so much for letting me know! That makes me so happy you liked it and I'm happy to hear those substitutes worked out for you so well :) Making it into muffins sounds perfect!
Anna says
Just made this bread and it's delicious. Very tasty, sweet (but not too sweet) and crunchy. Little warning though: I couldn't just eat one slice.
I think this is also a great recipe to play with. I can use whatever nuts and dried fruits I have at hand. Perhaps next time I can also add some chopped up sweet stem ginger or some candied orange peel?