It’s that time of the year when everyone is getting ready for the holidays, planning family gatherings, and baking their favorite holiday cookies. And somehow it’s the old traditional recipes that satisfy the most. It’s something about that warm and cozy feeling when you have a bite of the cookies your grandma used to make when you were a kid.
My grandma was a very talented baker. She had a huge family (7 children!) that needed to be fed. One of her signature holiday dishes was fruit bread. It’s a traditional bread made of dried fruits, nuts, spices, and can be prepared weeks in advance. My grandma would bake tens of loaves at the beginning of December, and on Christmas eve, each of their kids and grandkids would get a loaf.
When I was little, I didn’t like fruit bread. That brown, sticky mixture just didn’t look as appealing as other pretty, more delicate, Christmas cookies. But nowadays, fruit bread is one of my favorite holiday treats. Not only because it reminds me of my grandma, but also because it’s very nourishing. It’s rich and only uses natural and healthy ingredients like nuts, dried fruit, whole-wheat flour; and it comes without any added sugar or fat. Thus, a great alternative to other holiday cookies packed with white flour and refined sugar.
This year, for the first time and to carry on the tradition, I decided to make fruit bread myself. There are a lot of different recipes, I chose a simple one that doesn’t involve a lot of prep work, and it turned out moist and fruity – almost as good as my grandma’s.
Feel free to use your favorite dried fruits (figs, dates, apricots, raisins, cranberries, …) and nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, …). I recommend making the loaves at least 1-2 weeks in advance as they get tastier over time. I know, this might not happen as they are just too delicious …
Happy holiday baking!
Love,
Marion
German Christmas fruit bread
A traditional sugar-free german christmas treat with dried fruit, nuts, and spices
Ingredients
- 350g apples, cored
- 250g dried figs
- 250g dried apricots
- 120g whole-wheat spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- zest of 1 lemon
- 100g almonds
- 100g hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 eggwhite
- pinch of salt
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Step 2 Put the dried fruit in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 3 In the meantime, finely grate the apples (you can use a food processor).
- Step 4 Drain the dried fruits and cut them into pieces. Make them as small or big as you like them to appear in your finished loaf.
- Step 5 In a bowl, mix apples, dried fruits, flour, baking powder, zest of a lemon, nuts, and spices until well combined.
- Step 6 In a separate bowl, mix the egg white with the salt and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold carefully into the mixture.
- Step 7 with slightly wet hands, form 6 small loafs and place them on the lined baking tray. Don’t worry, the dough will be sticky and quite difficult to handle.
- Step 8 Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. Let the loaves cool completely before slicing them thinly or placing them in an airtight container and storing them in a cool place for up to 4 weeks.
