Wholewheat Roasted Almond and Fig Bread

Whole Wheat Roasted Almond and Fig Bread

  Happy Tappings is a lot of fun
You can do it on your own - or with anyone!
Tap, tap, tap on the top of your head,
Tap tap tap  - do just what I said.
Tap on your eyebrow just near your nose.
Then the side of your eye where the hard bone grows.
Now on the bone - under your eye
Dont poke your eye or you will make yourself cry!
Now under your nose- but above your lips  
Tap, tap, tap - with your finger tips!
Now under your bottom lip - but over your chin,
Just on the bit where your chin goes in.
Now under your collarbone -  but over your chest,
Right on the bump of the bone is best!
The last on the list is under your arm,
To make sure you get it right - slap with your palm

If you still don’t feel good - don’t go to bed
Start tapping again on the top of your head !

by Joy Winning

This poem pretty much describes how the summer vacations are going for my son and me. He's bored and I am at my wits' end to keep him entertained...We have been tapping our heads no end for ideas..
I  came across one and immediately got into action as soon as he went to bed . Of course the idea is this gorgeous flavourful bread.My husband and me both are huge fans of roasted almonds  and add it to almost anything..from yoghurt to muesli, to oats ,to salads and icecreams...and then I wondered how the bread got left behind...

Ingredients

· 2 cup wholewheat flour

. 1 cup All purpose flour

·  1/3 cup chopped almonds
. 1/3 cup chopped figs
. 2tsp olive oil
. 2 tsp active dry yeast
. 3/4 tsp salt

. 1 cup lukewarm water
Optional-cinammon powder for
              blanched sliced almonds for topping

. 

Instructions

1.In a big mug, heat half a cup of water in the microwave for ten seconds, stir in the sugar and yeast and keep aside for ten minutes.

2. In a big mixing bowl, mix the flours,salt and cinnamon if using. .After ten minutes the yeast mixture will become foamy. Add the yeast mixture to the flours and knead the dough with  it. Use more water if you feel the mixture is too dry.
3.Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on your work surface. Knead it for good ten minutes till it becomes smooth and elastic.Add the olive oil and knead again. Put the dough in a greased bowl and keep it covered for an hour or till the dough doubles in volume.

4.Preheat the oven at 180 degrees, spread the chopped almonds in a baking tray and bake at the same temperature for eight minutes. Remove from the oven and keep aside to cool.
4. Take the dough out, gently deflate it with your hands and sprinkle in the figs and almonds on one side.Overlap and cover with the other side, sprinkle more almonds and figs, fold to form a loaf. This is for the even distribution of fruit and nut in the bread. It has happened to me earlier when the fruit was kneaded into the dough but it managed to form a layer at the bottom of the loaf.So it does happen in breads too and not only cakes.
    Put the loaf in a greased bread mould and wait for it to rise.It should take half an hour to forty minutes for it to rise.

5. Brush the top of the bread with olive oil and sprinkle the blanched and sliced almonds.Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and bake the risen loaf at 200 degrees  for twenty minutes.Lower the temperature to 180 degrees and bake for another ten minutes or till the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
6.Cool well before demoulding and slicing.