I’ve been wanting to make this raspberry coconut almond breakfast loaf for a while. It lingered at the back of my mind and last weekend, it finally surfaced.

I grew up eating really sugary breakfast breads. I’m sure many of you know the kind I’m talking about: White bread, cinnamon swirl filling, butter and sugar oozing from every morsel. There’s nothing wrong with those loafs. I still eat them all the time.

But now when I crave breakfast bread, I usually want something more hearty and less sugary. I don’t want to pass out facedown at my desk at work after my blood sugar spikes.

This bread is made from applesauce, eggs, whole wheat flour, oats, and almond milk, and that’s about it. I mixed in raspberries, coconut, and almonds to give it some crunch. The original recipe called for a 1/2 cup granulated sugar but I cut that down to a scant 1/4 cup. The bread really doesn’t need more. You can always put jam or honey on top later.

My favorite part about this loaf is the crumb. Some breakfast breads taste very starchy (probably from all the flour and sugar), and others taste more like a cake. This breakfast bread is dense and hearty but the crumb is light and melts in your mouth. I’m not a fan of the word moist, but, for lack of a better word, that’s what this loaf is. It doesn’t dry out.

I topped a couple slices of bread with almond butter and local strawberry rhubarb jam for breakfast on Sunday. Feel free to get creative with toppings, though. Irish butter, honey, or even Nutella would work well.

Here’s a song that I was jamming out to in the car this morning. Sometimes I reach a point in my commute when I rapid fire shuffle through songs. “Please, give me a banger,” I say to no one. Today this song popped up and I was so grateful. I love when Twista comes in at the bridge.

Raspberry Coconut Almond Breakfast Loaf

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup flake coconut
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 cup frozen raspberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and flour a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Whisk the eggs, apple sauce, sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then mix in the oats, coconut, and almonds.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the frozen raspberries. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and use a spatula to even out the top.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the loaf cool on a baking rack. Once mostly cool, remove the loaf from the pan and allow to come to room temperature on the baking rack. The loaf will keep in an airtight container for a week. If you’re worried about it going bad, you can also stick it in the fridge and warm up slices when you want them.

Enjoy!