Dried Fruit Bread (No Added Sugar, 10-Min Prep)

This Dried Fruit Bread is a no-added-sugar, egg-free, dairy-free, sweet, dense bread loaded with dried fruits and packed with nutrients, fiber, and vitamins.

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While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

Dried Fruit Bread

This Dried Fruit Bread is a no-added-sugar, egg-free, dairy-free, sweet, dense bread loaded with dried fruits and packed with nutrients, fiber, and vitamins.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 10 slices

Calories: 168.2 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 ¾ cups Self-Rising Flour - (note 1)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon - (note 5)
• ▢ ½ cup Almond Milk - (note 2)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Mild-Flavor Olive Oil - (note 3)
• ▢ ⅓ cup Orange Juice - from 1 small orange (note 4)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Dried Fruit adds-on (note 6)

• ▢ ½ cup Medjool Dates - measured pitted and chopped
• ▢ ½ cup Dried Prunes - measured pitted and chopped
• ▢ ⅓ cup Dried Cranberries
• ▢ ⅓ cup Dried Raisins

Optional

• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons Orange Zest
• ▢ ½ cup Walnuts - chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
• Chop the pitted dates and prunes and pack the chopped dried fruits in measuring cups to get the amount needed. It doesn't have to be super precise, don't worry if you add a little too much or too less. Set aside
• In a mixing bowl, add the self-rising flour, cinnamon, almond milk, orange juice, olive oil, vanilla extract, the chopped dried fruit from before, dried raisins, and dried cranberries.
• Add optional chopped walnuts and orange zest now if used.
• Use a rubber spatula to stir the ingredients together. The batter is heavy and sticky; that's normal. Stir and press/push with the spatula to bring everything together. When it starts to be difficult to stir, oil your hands with olive oil, and knead a few times – it's sticky, but you should be able to form a dough ball. It means it's not runny; if too wet, then add a bit more self-rising flour to bring the dough together.
• Transfer the sticky dough on the baking sheet.
• Oil your hands again and shape your dough ball into a loaf. The shape you give matters. If it's too tall, it takes ages to bake, which is why you are not supposed to bake it in a loaf pan. Shape your loaf into an 8-inch x 2-inch (20 cm x 5 cm) log.
• Bake the bread for 12 minutes on the middle rack at 400°F (200°C), then decrease the temperature to 350°F (180°C) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown outside and a pick inserted comes out clean.
• Let it cool down for 3 hours on a cooling rack before slicing.

Notes

Note 1: Or make your own and use 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, in which you whisk in 4 teaspoons of baking powder. This recipe doesn’t work with almond flour, or oat flour. Use my gluten-free conversion guide to make it gluten-free.

Note 2: Or any milk you like, including soy milk or oat milk.

Note 3: Or any light-flavor oil you love, like canola oil.

Note 4: Or swap for more almond milk if you don’t like orange flavors. Or try mandarin juice.

Note 5: Or pumpkin pie spices.

Note 6: You can swap the big dried fruits like Medjool dates and prunes for figs, apricots, or other varieties of dates. The key is to use fresh dried fruits. If they are old, hard, and dry, you can soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, and drain, pat dry in absorbent paper completely before adding to the recipe, or it will add too much moisture and you will need more flour. Feel free to swap dried raisins, dried cranberries for sultanas, dried strawberries, or others.

Storage: Store the bread for 3 days at room temperature in an airtight box or 5 days in the fridge.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15°C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 168.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.3g | Protein: 3.2g | Fat: 3.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Sodium: 18.6mg | Potassium: 197.7mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 9.2g | Vitamin A: 98.8IU | Vitamin C: 4.9mg | Calcium: 32.3mg | Iron: 0.5mg | Magnesium: 15.8mg | Phosphorus: 37.4mg | Zinc: 0.3mg

Ingredients and Substitutions

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. Here’s how to pick and swap them.

• Self-Rising Flour – This forms the base of your bread, already containing baking powder that helps it rise. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can easily make your own by whisking all-purpose flour with baking powder (quantities in the notes of the recipe card). This recipe is designed specifically for this type of flour and won’t work with almond, or oat flours. Use my gluten-free conversion guide to make it gluten-free.
• Cinnamon – This spice adds a warm, comforting flavor to your bread. You can also use pumpkin pie spices if you prefer a different blend.
• Almond Milk – This provides the liquid component for the dough, contributing to its texture. Feel free to use any other plant-based milk you enjoy, such as soy milk or oat milk.
• Light Olive Oil – This adds moisture and a subtle richness to the bread. Any other light-flavor oil, like canola oil, works just as well.
• Orange Juice – This provides a bright, citrusy note that complements the dried fruits. If you don’t care for orange flavor, you can swap it for more almond milk or even mandarin juice.
• Vanilla Extract – This enhances the overall flavor profile of the bread, adding a touch of warmth and sweetness.

While you can pick any dried fruits you like (or have), here are my recommendations for a balance of flavors and textures.

• Medjool Dates – These provide natural sweetness and a soft, chewy texture. Remember to pit and chop them before measuring. You can swap these for other large dried fruits like figs or apricots.
• Dried Prunes – These contribute natural sweetness, moisture, and a dense texture to the bread. Like dates, chop and measure them after pitting.
• Dried Cranberries – These add a tart, fruity zing that balances the sweetness of the other dried fruits. You can swap these for sultanas, dried strawberries, or other small dried fruits.
• Dried Raisins – These offer another layer of natural sweetness and chewiness.

How to Make Dried Fruit Bread

This recipe is super simple to whip up, here’s how in a few pictures.

Chop the dried fruits into small pieces.

Combine the dough ingredients in a bowl.

Incorporate the dried fruits into the dough.

Shape the bread and bake it for 12 minutes at 400°F (200°C).

Carine’s Baking Tips

Let me share a few more tips for a perfect bread.

• Shape Matters – Do not bake this bread in a traditional loaf pan. Its dense nature means it needs to be shaped into a log, no taller than 2 inches (5 cm), directly on a baking sheet. This ensures it bakes evenly and avoids a gummy, undercooked center.
• Chop and Measure – For best results, chop your larger dried fruits like dates and prunes first, then pack them into your measuring cups. This ensures you get the right amount and consistent pieces.
• Fresh Dried Fruits are Best – Use fresh, pliable dried fruits. If your dried fruits are old, hard, or overly dry, soften them first by soaking them in hot water for about 10 minutes. Then, drain them thoroughly and pat them completely dry with absorbent paper to avoid adding excess moisture to your dough.
• It’s Sticky! – The dough for this bread is naturally heavy and sticky. That’s completely normal! Don’t be afraid to oil your hands and knead it a few times to bring it together into a manageable ball.
• Customize Your Fruits – Have fun swapping out the dried fruits to create different flavor combinations. Dried mangoes, figs, apricots, sultanas, or even dried strawberries are all excellent choices.
• Temperature Change – Pay attention to the two-stage baking temperature. Starting hotter helps the bread set, and then reducing the temperature ensures it cooks through without over-browning.
• Don’t Substitute Flour – This recipe specifically uses self-rising flour (or a homemade version with all-purpose flour and baking powder). Do not substitute with gluten-free, almond, or oat flours, as the results will not be the same.
• Spice It Up – While cinnamon is called for, feel free to experiment with other warm spices like pumpkin pie spice to change up the flavor profile of your bread.

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