Fruit & Nut Bread

The original recipe calls for dried dates, but I did not have any on hand & prefer prunes or "dried plums" for the added health reasons. This recipe is originally from Simple Treats by Ellen Abraham. The end result was a very mild bread with nuts & plump plums. I may add a little extra maple syrup & oil next time for added sweetness & moisture. Be careful not to over bake, as barley flour turns quite dark & may dry out easily.

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Dried Plum-Walnut Bread
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup soymilk/rice milk, etc
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tblspns sugar
1 3/4 cups barley flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups dried pitted plums, chopped
2 tblspns walnuts, chopped for topping

• Preheat oven 350F. Oil/butter 8X4 loaf pan & set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the oil, syrup, milk, vinegar & vanilla extract.
• In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts & sugar. Sift in the flour, soda, powder, cinnamon & salt. Stir around to combine.
• Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
• Do not overwork the batter. Add some milk if the batter is too stiff.
• Fold in chopped dried plums.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts.
• Bake 35 minutes, rotate pan & bake for another 25 - 35 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.
  
• Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
• 12 servings.