Peaceful Poppyseed Prune Bread – Vegan Recipe

This wonderful, homey bread evokes Eastern Europe, where dried fruit has been used for millennia to satisfy end-of-winter sweet cravings. This bread is especially welcome now, since it also includes nerve-soothing oats and nutrition-packed seeds. Humans have been baking bread for thousands of years, and somehow nothing evokes the safety and comfort of home like the smell of bread baking. Kneading is a time-honored way to reduce stress, and pausing to rest while the bread bakes is so soothing.

With many benefits in the making and the eating, this bread may become a family favorite.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups fruit juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup poppy seeds
1 cup prunes, pitted and diced
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
8 to 9 cups whole wheat flour

1. Heat fruit juice and stir in oil, honey and molasses. Add salt and oats and let this starter it sit while you toast the sunflower and poppy seeds in a dry skillet and dice the prunes. Add spices, seeds, and prunes to the starter and then gradually add the flour. Knead the resulting huge glob of dough (in two batches if one is too heavy) at least 300 times or until it stays together and can be shaped into a round.

2. Bake at 300 for 1 ½ hours or until firm-crusted and deep brown.

Serves 8 to 10.

Read more: Food, All recipes, Desserts

Adapted from The Peaceful Cook by Harriet Kofalk (Peace Place, through Talking Leaves Publications, 1991). Copyright (c) 1991 by Harriet Kofalk. Reprinted by permission of Living Tree Paper.
Adapted from The Peaceful Cook by Harriet Kofalk (Peace Place, through Talking Leaves Publications, 1991).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Edith M.

3:47AM PST on Jan 7, 2012

There's a difference between baking yeast and nutritional yeast. Baking yeast will make it rise if there is enough gluten in the flour to other ingredients ratio. I don't know what nutritional yeast would do to a sweet recipe--it adds a cheesy-nutty flavor, and often thickens.

send a green star

3:44AM PST on Jan 7, 2012

yeah, honey isn't vegan. And heating detsroys most nice things in honey anyway. I'd use agave nectar or organic cane sugar, etc.

Karen C.

7:40AM PST on Nov 6, 2011

It did come out like a rock and if I read the comments before making the recipe, I probably would have used nutriential yeast and let it rise before baking or added baking soda and baking powder. Don't waste your time using this recipe unless you use a leavening agent; sorry:(

Brenda G.

4:29PM PST on Mar 12, 2011

I have the same question about yeast.
Instead of honey perhaps organic Maple syrup or Agave syrup?

louise d.

2:15PM PST on Mar 12, 2011

Leave out the honey for it to be vegan.

Bethany v.

2:08PM PST on Mar 11, 2011

I bet it takes yeast, but....

I'd use 3 tsp active dry yeast in the "start" at body temp.
Then let the round sit for an hour or two before baking to rise some.

SH H.

5:19PM PST on Feb 11, 2009

I'm concerned that this recipe does not have any leavening. Does it come out like a rock? I would love to make it but don't want to waste my ingredients if it doesn't rise. Please advise.