Spiced Banana Bread Serves 10
2 cups wholemeal flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup whole oats
1 cup pepita, sunflower, chai seeds, or chopped walnuts mix
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
¾ cup natural Greek yoghurt
¾ tsp bi-carb soda
½ cup apple sauce
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees or 165 degrees fan forced.
- Line the base of a large loaf tin (25cm x 10cm) with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl place flour, oats, sugar, ¾ cup of the seed/nut mix, cranberries, cinnamon, salt and stir well.
- In another small bowl place apple sauce and bi-carb soda (will froth up). Add mashed bananas, greek yoghurt, eggs and vanilla to apple sauce mixture and mix well.
- Pour liquid mixture into flour and stir only until they are just combined.
- Pour into lined loaf tray and sprinkle with remaining seed/nut mix on top.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Malted walnut seed loaf Serves 12
500g strong wholegrain flour
1 tsp salt
Up to 350ml luke-warm water
Little sunflower oil, for greasing
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
100g mixed seeds (e.g. linseed, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, chai)
50g Walnut pieces
- Making of the dough: Place flour, yeast, and salt into a large bowl, making a well in the middle. Pour in most of the water and use your fingers or a wooden spoon to mix the flour and water together. Combine until a slightly wet, pillowy, workable dough.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for atleast 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Throughout the kneading process add in most of the seeds and nuts until all combined.
- Leave to rise in a clean bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until double the size. Knock back the dough and shape into a large round oval. Roll the round oval dough into the remaining seeds then place onto tray to prove (rest) for about 30 mins until it doubles in size.
- Heat oven to 200 degrees (220 fan forced). Bake bread for 15 minutes , then reduce heat to 170 degrees (190 fan forced) and continue to bake for 30 mins until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave the bread of a cooling rack to cool completely. The loaf will stay fresh for ~3 days in an air tight container or can be frozen for up to a month.
- Ideal toppings: Spread some goats cheese and fresh berries with small drizzle honey; Low fat ricotta cheese with sliced pear; Poached eggs with smashed avocado and feta.