Almond Pulp Date Nut Bread

One of my COVID-19 pandemic self-improvement purchases was an Instant Ace Blender, which I now use to make my own almond milk. Self congratulations and internal high-fives all around. However, as anyone who regularly makes nut milk discovers, a byproduct of the process is a large amount of damp almond pulp. Not wanting to waste this (supposedly) important commodity, I scoured the Internet for recipes for almond pulp, which is essentially almonds with most of the fat and flavor and soul stripped away. Apparently, almond pulp can be dried into a baking flour, converted into an herbed cracker spread, or rubbed on the skin as an exfoliant.

Wow. Talk about versatile. Of course, any cracker spread doubling as a skincare regime is either a miracle product or a clear example of low expectations. I fear it’s more the latter. Spread on crackers, the stuff tastes like moist, powdered loofa.

However, I did develop a great recipe for a high-protein, high-fiber vegan gluten-free yeasted date nut bread. The recipe uses the almond pulp from a standard almond milk recipe, plus two cups of the milk itself, so it is either a brilliant use of resources or some vegan violation of kosher law, “not cooking an almond in it’s mother’s milk.” I haven’t yet decided.

Nonetheless, this bread is perfect when toasted and spread with your fat of choice, be it coconut oil, vegan butter, schmaltz, or lard.

Hey, it’s your pandemic lockdown party. You do you.

INGREDIENTS

• 14 ounces of gluten-free all purpose baking flour (e.g. America’s Test Kitchen gf baking flour)
• 1 cup of almond pulp (or ½ cup almond flour)
• 2 ounces millet flour
• 2 ounces teff flour
• 3 tablespoons psyllium powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons medium brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 cups almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup chopped dates
• ½ cup chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together baking flour, almond pulp, millet flour, teff flour, psyllium powder, sugars, yeast, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In separate bowl, mix together psyllium powder and water. Let sit 5-10 minutes to thicken.
3. Add almond milk, melted butter, and flaxseed to dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer for about 6 minutes. The batter should be thick but still very damp. Stir in chopped dates and nuts.
4. Pour batter into greased pullman loaf pan or other large loaf pan and let rise in warm place for about an hour until loaf has risen to at least 1 ½ times its original size. While loaf is rising, preheat oven to 350oF.
5. Bake loaf in center of oven for 50-60 minutes until the top of the bread is firm, you can hear no more steam escaping, and the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.
6. Let cool completely before slicing.

Makes 20-24 slices.

NOTES

1. I give credit where credit is due. My jumping off point for this recipe was the How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook. This is a great source of ideas for non-vegan gluten-free recipes. I simply had to take the recipe to the next level.
2. I use a mix of millet and teff flours in the recipe. Teff flour is high in fiber and protein, and it makes the bread denser and more moist. Millet is slightly lower in fiber and protein, and it makes the bread drier and more crumbly. By adjusting the all purpose, millet, and teff flours, you can get the recipe to your preferred taste and texture.
3. Although I have not attempted this yet, substituting aquafaba for the flaxseed egg may give the recipe more leavening. Substituting real egg for the flaxseed/water mixture will definitely give better rise to the recipe, but this makes a non-vegan, lower fiber recipe.

NUTRITION

Serving size: 1 slice

146-176 calories, 3.0-3.6 g protein, 1.7-2.1 g fiber, 4.7-5.7 g fat