This is one of my favorite breakfast breads because it's easy to make, nutritious, filling, and really, really tasty. The bread relies on unsweetened applesauce, a little orange juice, and raisins for sweetness--not artificial sweeteners. White whole-wheat flour and milled flax seeds provide lots of fiber and nutrients, and walnuts give the bread protein as well as crunch. The bread, in modest amounts, is great for diabetics as well as those who are interested in eating "healthy" and good food. I make the bread in the air fryer in a six-inch round pan, and the bread comes out with a nice, crispy crust and soft on the inside. If you'd prefer, you can bake the bread in a regular oven at 350 for about an hour. When I'm pressed for time and need to feed my starter, I mix up the dough, refrigerate it overnight, and then make the bread the following day. It will work! The bread keeps well in a cool place and is great toasted with butter, or my preference, a little almond butter or cheese. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Sourdough Orange-Raisin-Nut Bread -- Makes 1 Loaf
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1 1/2 tablespoons of milled flax seeds (meal)
1/2 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of grated orange zest
1/4 cup of orange juice
3/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of apple pie spice (or a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice)
In a large bowl mix the starter/discard, flax meal, milk, oil, applesauce, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice well. Add the flour, salt, and spice to the mixture and stir them in until combined. Let the mixture sit for at least and hour, loosely covered with plastic wrap. I usually leave my mixture for a good four hours while I work/do other things. Alternatively, cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. When you're ready, add to the mixture:
3/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I usually use walnuts or pecans)
1/3 cup of raisins (regular black raisins, or try golden)
Stir/knead into the first mixture the flour, nuts, and raisins. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, kneading in another 1/2 cup or so of white whole-wheat flour to prevent the dough from being too sticky to knead. Shape the dough into a rough ball. Line a 6-inch cake pan with baking parchment or aluminum foil and spritz the parchment/foil with non-stick cooking spray. Put the dough ball in the prepared pan, spritz the top with a little non-stick cooking spray, and loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it increases in size by about 1/3. This usually takes a couple of hours in my coolish kitchen (about 68-70 degrees). Air fry the dough at 320 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the bread reads about 195 degrees, comes out with no wet dough attached, and the top of the loaf is a deep, golden brown. Let the bread cool in its pan for 15 minutes before removing it to cool completely. The bread will slice best after it has cooled completely.
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