Fresh Fig Bread

I've been meaning to start a blog for a while. I feel like it's just something I needed to do. Perhaps its because I love sharing recipes with people. Perhaps its because I went to law school and therefore, to some degree, I love to hear myself talk.

This morning, I decided I could only procrastinate on so many things and seeing as how I was already putting off taking a shower, finishing a knitting project and, finding gainful employment, it was time for a blog. It could have also been because I had an abundance of figs left and making more fig jam might lead to fig jam nightmares.

Last week, my boyfriend's mom emailed me and asked if I wanted some figs to make jam with. (Word got out I'd been making jam out of pritnear everything.) I emailed back "sure!"…only to realize I had no idea what the heck a fresh fig looked like, much less tasted like. But, I figured there would be enough for many one batch and that would be the end of that.

Wrong.

Two batches of jam later I'm having a stand off with the remaining figs. What do I do with these things? I don't feel like anything savory and that’s just about all I could find. Nearly every baking recipe I found was for dried figs. Well shoot.

This morning, I had a stroke of genius. The smashed up figs for jam almost had the consistency of applesauce - wait, applesauce bread! Fig-lesauce bread? (On second thought, perhaps I need a new name…)

Sidebar - A fig is a smallish fruit the grows on trees. Apparently they're very common in the south. (who knew? Clearly not the yankee) I'd never seen them fresh - only dried, which I'm guessing is the case for many of you. Most of you probably picture this:

Instead, picture this:

That’s a fig. Yum. Anyways, recipe:

Ingredients: [Note: t = teaspoon; T = tablespoon]

1 1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Baking Soda

1/4 t sea salt (or regular salt)

1 t Cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 c honey (or light agave nectar or a combo of both, I did both because I didn't have much honey)

1 c figs (mashed, crushed - I used a food processor and pulsed until it was somewhat like applesauce)

3 T egg whites (or 1 egg white)

1 egg

2 T butter, melted

1 t vanilla

1/2 walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine the dry ingredients (Flour - Nutmeg) in a large bowl. I usually mix them up with a fork, for good measure.

Combine all the wet ingredients (honey-vanilla) and a bowl.

Make a "well" in the dry ingredients and pour the wet into the dry. Stir until just combined. Fold in walnuts.

Pour into 1 greased loaf pan or 3 small loaf pans. If you're feeling dangerous, make them into muffins.

My small loaves baked for 25-30 minutes. You'll have to adjust the time based on what you've poured your batter into (A large loaf will probably take closer to 40-50 minutes, muffins 15-20) Keep an eye on them and when a tester comes out clean, they're done!

The bread is not too sweet. Also, next time, I'll probably up the cinnamon/nutmeg/vanilla because I can never get enough of them.

Enjoy!