(a re-post from previous incarnation of this site, when we lived in Hades, excuse me, somewhere dreadful overseas)
I had this as an extremely simple snack -- bread and water! But it's the
best quick bread I've found so far that fits my needs: not sweet, and
as close as possible to a yeast bread in texture and flavor. (I can't
get good yeast here, and even when I import American yeast the flour
doesn't work well with it.) It's an adaptation of my wonderful mom's
wonderful bread!
Note: If you don't have a big strong mixer like a Kitchenaid standalone mixer, and you are not a big weight lifter, you probably would do best to halve the recipe, as the dough is very hard to mix, and also to mix the liquids separately before mixing them in. Also note that this quantity is the maximum that will fit into my mixing bowl without going everywhere.
The recipe (note I'm sure that different nuts and fruit will work):
Put into the big mixer bowl and stir by hand well:
6-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or a combination of whole grains, though mostly wheat; if your whole wheat flour is very heavy, try just 6 cups of it and then 1/2 cup of some lighter flour)
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp salt (yes, that much)
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup raisins
Start preheating your oven and oil 2 big bread pans (or more of smaller pans) (I use lots of olive oil brushed on with a silicon brush -- and first pour a bit of olive oil into a 1/3 cup measure and swirl it around before pouring it into the baking pan so that the honey below comes out much better), because if you mix the liquids in too early the baking soda will lose too much of its strength before you bake the bread.
Then put into the center and just stir them a bit: 2 eggs
Then pour in and mix using the big mixer on a low speed just until mixed:
1/4 cup mild vinegar (I use white or rice, but apple cider will probably be nice too)
2-3/4 cups milk
1/3 cup honey (preferably a strongly flavored wild-ish honey; preferably in a measuring cup that has been swirled with oil as mentioned above, so it comes out better)
Then mix in:
1/8 cup flax seeds
1/8 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
1/2 cup or more walnut quarters
It will be a very thick dough, unlike most quick breads. Spoon (probably with difficulty, sorry) into well-oiled pans (I use a couple big glass ones). Bake at 375 for 1 hour for big loaves; test it at that point with a wooden toothpick to be sure it doesn't come out doughy (once my oven was a bit cool because of voltage fluctuations so I needed to bake it about 10 more minutes). Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes, then remove. Let cool at least almost completely before cutting. Nice served with jam or (especially when a bit older and starting to dry out) drizzled with walnut oil.