(word to the wise: this recipe makes 7 smallish loaves or 4 large loaves. If you don’t want that many, make only half of this!! However, this bread is very good for you, so don’t feel guilty about it!!)
Use a wire whisk to stir dry ingredients together well:
5 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. gluten free flour (or whole wheat flour) (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour)
2 c. organic brown sugar or raw sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. ground ginger
1 T. baking soda (this is essential to interact with the buttermilk/vinegar/yogurt and cause the bread to rise)
1 t. salt
Add the wet ingredients and stir together well, beating for about 40 seconds with spoon:
2 c. buttermilk or yogurt (or milk with 1 t. vinegar added to sour it)
2 pears, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. grapes, sliced (don’t worry about peeling them; you can’t tell after baking)
2 c. coconut oil or coconut butter (this looks like whipped crisco but smells lightly of coconut)
1/2 c. molasses (I used fairly dark Brer Rabbit, but lighter molasses would also work)
1/2 c. hot water (I used this to rinse the molasses out of the jar)
1 1/2 c. chai tea made with milk and honey
4 eggs
(Observe the batter; it should be fairly thick but still very moist and creamy, like very thick cake or pancake batter. Depending on your usage of thick yogurt or milk, you may have to add some hot water or flour to make it the desired consistency. I used yogurt because that is what I had, but if I had had buttermilk, I would have used that and added a little flour, perhaps 1 c, to make it nice and thick, yet still stirrable.)
Bake for 35-55 min, at 350 degrees F, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. These loaves should rise nicely and make your kitchen smell divine.
ALLOW TO COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE FROSTING!!!! (such as overnight!!)
For the first layer of frosting:
16oz. white chocolate or almond bark
Melt VERY CAREFULLY in a glass pitcher in the microwave on low power, or defrost, checking frequently for scorching. Stir often as you check it. 40 seconds on 2% power, stirring between each time, about four times, will probably do it, depending on the strength of your microwave.
This will be VERY HOT, so allow it to cool to a warm temperature that you can work with, and then pour it into a small ziploc sandwich bag, seal the bag, and snip off a tiny piece of the tip with scissors. The tiny piece that you cut off should be about half the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. Set all of your loaves in a long row on top of waxed paper. Use the bag to QUICKLY drizzle from one end of the row to the other end. If you don’t do it quickly, the icing will puddle and clump together.
For the second layer of frosting:
12 oz. dark bitter chocolate (at least 75% or 85% cacao–remember, dark chocolate is very good for you!)
Repeat the process described above for the white chocolate icing.
Allow these loaves to set completely before attempting to transport them, wrap them up as gifts, etc, so that the icing may harden and set up firmly.
Then, you are good to go!! Your neighbors will love receiving this moist, sweet, fragrant, delectable treat, and you can feel good about its health benefits for your loved ones!!!! Enjoy!!
