Maple Walnut Bread

Great for breast-feeding mammas, baby's first snacks. Heart healthy & health conscious!

I originally developed this recipe when I was breastfeeding my twins and looking for a quick healthy snack that was gluten free, easy to whip up, not too messy to eat while breastfeeding (which was all the time for me) as well as something to help with milk production, which was something I was really struggling with.

I am a firm believer that everything we put into our mouths should benefit our bodies, mental health and give us plenty of energy for our daily activities. So, I try to pack each recipe with as many nutrients as I can. Oats are a great source of fibre, heart healthy and help to lower cholesterol, not to mention great for milk production, bonus! Walnuts are much the same and contain good fats to help aid with digestion, and most importantly, they are my absolute favorite in the nut family. Heeeyyoh!

So, in the early days of creating this recipe I used honey rather than maple syrup. This is an option for you if you like, but I quickly switched to pure Canadian maple syrup for it's health benefits, also so that my growing babies, who were beginning to eat solid food, could eat this nutritious bread as well.

Tips for making Maple Walnut Bread

* If you are making this bread for a child under the age of 1, be sure to use maple syrup and avoid honey as it is not a safe food for your little ones. Also, rather than seeds, nuts, dried fruit and/or chocolate chips. Simply top your bread with hemp hearts and/or sliced bananas, and a little cinnamon to prevent choking.

* For this recipe you will need to use a food processor to grind the oats and walnuts together. I want to be very clear that you must use Old Fashioned Rolled Oats for this recipe to reach the desired texture. Also very important, we are not trying to make a flour with the oats and walnuts, we are grinding them to incorporate them together, and make a very roughly ground mixture. I have taken photos to show how your oat and walnut mixture should look which I will share below. Try not to over process these dry ingredients. Once you've done it, it is very simple.


Before:

After:

I have one friend in particular who has asked me to deliver this to her multiple times for her and her little one to enjoy, and that makes my heart so happy. This is a sweet gift for a new mom just home from the hospital with her new baby. When you go to meet baby bring this bread along to share with her so she doesn't need to worry about preparing anything to serve you. I always say, food is a beautiful gift, filled with lots of love and good intentions.

This can also be a great treat for someone with cholesterol issues if you substitute the cream for a plant based milk. I often do just because I love it that way, but you can use any milk or cream that you like. I have tried many different types and all have tasted great, the only ones I would avoid are canned milks such as canned coconut milk or condensed milk. If you have a specific question you can leave it in the comments and I would be happy to answer that for you.

My family enjoys this Maple Walnut Bread at least once a week. It makes a great snack or breakfast when you are running out the door, a nice treat to have with coffee when a friend stops by for a visit, and if you add chocolate chips it can be a great health conscious desert for a family get together or potluck!

Okay, let's get this bread in the oven so you can enjoy!


Maple Walnut Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts 
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (plant based if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla

Optional Toppings

• Pepita seeds
• Dried fruit or berries (chop into small pieces)
• Shredded coconut
• Hemp hearts
• Mini chocolate chips
• Yogurt chips
• Sliced banana
• Whole or chopped nuts of choice (cashews are really nice)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Add all dry ingredients to food processor. If you haven't already, please see "Tips for making Maple Walnut Bread" with photos above to see desired consistency of dry ingredients once processed. Be careful not to grind so much that it turns to a powder, but grind just enough so that you have a roughly combined mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients thoroughly. 
4. Add dry ingredients to wet and continue to whisk, this mixture should be runny. 
5. Transfer to a greased baking dish and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before adding desired toppings. *The image above shows Maple Walnut Bread with dried papaya, mini dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut and pepita seeds as toppings!
6. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, use a fork to check to see if the center is cooked, if not put back in the oven and bake another 10 minutes and check the center again. I suggest this for your first time making the bread because the consistency of your dry oat mixture makes a difference in cooking time, if ground too fine it will cook faster than the desired rough texture I have suggested. When I make this loaf I bake at 350F for 30 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and let cool before serving. Enjoy!

For more inspiration be sure to check out my Instagram page grace.and.jack !