Don’t compost it, cook it up! Baking bread with juice pulp

A friend and I are doing a juicing cleanse for the next three days. I don’t always find juicing to be the best type of cleanse for my body, but when summertime comes in Florida and the heat and humidity start to spike, my body often craves the nutrient-dense nourishment of fresh veggie juice, and my digestion appreciates a bit of a rest.

I’ve been juicing regularly for many years, and after the first few began to grow in my guilt over composting the luscious pulp leftover from the process. After all, that fiber-rich pulp is still chock-full of nutrients. Soon thereafter I became inspired to find a way to incorporate the pulp, but without a fancy dehydrator, the recipes I was aware of were pretty useless.

Until I discovered juice pulp bread…voila! An easy and tasty way to reclaim the leftover pulp from your juicing spree.

I’ve tried various recipes over the years, but today I offer you a gluten-free recipe that is super simple to prepare and has become one of my favorites. (If you are vegan, substitute the egg with a chia/flax blend.)  To honor my body and not reverse all the healing from the cleanse itself, I use honey or maple syrup in my juice pulp bread instead of sugar, but I offer a few links at the bottom for other variations you may wish to try.

Juice Pulp Bread
Recipe modified from foodandnutrition.org
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
1 ½ cups pulp
¼ cup oil (I use coconut or olive)
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs, beaten (or chia/flax substitute)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the good kind; commercial brands contain High Fructose Corn Syrup)
1 ½ cups coconut, almond, or chickpea flour (if not gluten-free, whole wheat flour works here)*
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
Beat together oil and honey, then add eggs, vanilla and pulp.
Sift dry ingredients, add to pulp mixture and mix well.
Bake in a greased 9″ loaf pan at 350 F for 45 to 60 minutes.
I often make mine in muffin tins for snack size treats, or enjoy a thick slice for breakfast with some fresh fruit compote.

*Bonus: If you home-brew, substitute 1/2 cup of the flour for spent brew grains, for an extra DIY-multi-use-hearty treat.

Enjoy!
-Emily Ruff

More recipes for Juice Pulp Bread:
Hillbilly Housewife
Alison Smith