Hazelnut-Fig Quick Bread

Sprinkling nuts on top of the batter before it bakes, rather than mixing them in, helps concentrate the nut flavor.

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1/3  cup  hazelnuts
• 3/4  cup  fresh orange juice
• 1  cup  chopped dried figs
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  tablespoon  grated orange rind
• 1  large egg
• 1  large egg white
• 1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, stirring once. Turn nuts out onto a towel. Roll up towel; rub off skins. Chop nuts.

Bring orange juice to a boil; pour over figs in a bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Combine sugar, oil, rind, egg, and egg white; stir well with a whisk. Stir into fig mixture.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Add fig mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

178 (27% from fat)

Fat:

5.4g (sat 0.8g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.5g)

Protein:

3.4g

Carbohydrate:

30.4g

Fiber:

2.6g

Cholesterol:

18mg

Iron:

1.2mg

Sodium:

218mg

Calcium:

31mg