Fig and Walnut Loaf

This is one of those recipes that we totally forget about until the temperatures drop, and then it's all we can think about.  We normally only eat sweets after dinner, but this bread makes a wonderful afternoon snack when served with honeyed cream cheese and a pot of tea.   Yes, thanks to the chill in the air and frost on the ground, Anglophilia is alive and well in Texas.

Fig and Walnut Loaf

Ingredients

4           oz           (one stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2     cups        unbleached A.P. flour
1           tsp           baking soda
1/2        tsp           baking powder
1/2        tsp           salt
1/4        tsp           cinnamon
1/8        tsp           allspice
pinch                     nutmeg
7           oz             dried Mission figs, stems removed and diced
1          cup            packed light-brown sugar
2                           eggs at room temp
1/2       cup           sour cream
2          oz             walnuts, chopped

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 300° convection (325° conventional).  Butter pyrex loaf pan.
2. Combine dry (flour through salt) and set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 cup water in the microwave until starts to simmer.  Add a third of the figs to the water and leave to soften, about 10 minutes.  Puree in food processor until smooth and thick.
4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well each time.  Scrape down a few times.  Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.  Add sour cream and pureed fig and mix on low until just combined.  Add chopped figs and walnuts.
5. Fill prepared pan and bang on your counter a few times to level.  Bake until cooked through to center and top is springy, about 1 hour.
6. Store at room temperature.  Keeps several days.
7. Serve plain, or with honeyed cream cheese.