TE ATIME HE AVENWWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM APRIL baking heaven 73
Fruit bread
MAKES 1 SMALL LOAF
180g (6oz) dried fruit (any
combination of raisins, sultanas,
cranberries, cherries, apricots,
prunes, figs, or candied peel)
180g (6oz) strong white flour
120g (4oz) whole wheat flour
1 sachet (7g) fast action dried yeast
20g (¾oz) caster sugar
1 tsp table salt
1 large free-range egg, beaten
80ml (3fl oz) tepid whole milk1 Roughly chop the dried fruit so that
every piece of fruit is roughly the size of
a raisin. Put the fruit into a heatproof
bowl and pour boiling water over it.
Leave it to soak for 20 minutes, then
drain it well.
2 Combine all the ingredients, including
the soaked fruit, in a mixing bowl. Add
50ml (2fl oz) tepid water. Mix it to form a
dough, then knead it vigorously by hand
for 5-10 minutes, until it is smooth and
elastic and the fruit is well distributed
through the dough.
3 Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel
and leave it at room temperature for
2 hours, giving it a quick knead just to
deflate it after the first hour.
4 Grease the two long sides of a 450gOaty banana bread
MAKES 2 LOAVES
65g (2½oz) Flahavan’s Organic
Jumbo Oats
100g (3½oz) Flahavan’s Organic
Porridge Oats
130g (5oz) wholewheat flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of sea salt
4 medium very ripe bananas,
peeled, mashed
300ml (10fl oz) honey
300ml (10fl oz) maple syrup
60g (2oz) unsalted butter, melted
60ml (2fl oz) oat milk
100g (3½oz) low fat Greek yoghurt
2 large free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas
Mark 5. Spread 50g (1¾oz) Flahavan’s
Organic Jumbo Oats and 100g (3½oz)
Flahavan’s Organic Porridge Oats in a
single layer on a baking tray lined with
baking paper, then place in the oven.
2 Toast the oats for 8-10 minutes, until
very light golden, mixing once halfway
through. Remove from the oven and set
aside to cool.
3 Using baking paper, line two 20x6cm
(8x2½in) loaf tins, leaving two sides
overhanging slightly. Lightly mist with
non-stick spray.
4 In a bowl, mix together all the dry
ingredients, then stir in the toasted oats
and set aside.
5 Mash the bananas with a fork in a
large mixing bowl, then whisk in the wet
ingredients, adding the eggs and vanilla
extract last – the batter will have a very
wet consistency at this stage.
6 Add the dry ingredients to the wet
mixture, then slowly and gently stir with a
wooden spoon until combined. Pour the
batter evenly into the tins, leaving 1cm
(½in) at the top. Sprinkle the banana bread
mix with the remaining oats.
7 Bake for 25 minutes, then loosely
cover the tins with foil and return to the
oven for a further 25 minutes. Once
cooked, remove and leave to cool in the
tins for 1 hour before serving.
(1lb) loaf tin and line the bottom and
short sides with a single long strip of
baking parchment.
5 Shape the dough into a loaf and put it
into the lined loaf tin, seam-side down.
Cover with a clean tea towel and leave
at room temperature for 35-45 minutes,
until it has puffed up and a finger gently
poked into the top of it leaves a dent that
springs back slowly. Preheat the oven to
210°C/Gas Mark 6.
6 Bake the loaf in the oven on the
middle shelf for 15 minutes, then
without opening the door, reduce the
heat to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and bake it
for a further 25 minutes. It should then
be puffed up and golden. Remove it
from the tin and tap the bottom. It
should sound hollow when tapped on
the base.
7 Remove from the oven and allow it to
cool completely on a wire rack before
serving or freezing.a tea cake
but in loaf
form!Recipe taken from
The Vegetarian
Kitchen by Prue Leith
and Peta Leith,
published by
Bluebird (£25).