Healthy Breakfast Breads - Banana Walnut Bread & Apricot Bread

Bread is one of my greatest loves in life. I have no idea why. I like to see bread, smell bread, buy bread and eat them! Baking them however is a challenge for a novice like me but....

One day...

I baked a banana walnut bread - yes, it is a loaf bread but definitely not cake-like. Full flavored and dense - just the way I like it...

But I was still not satisfied. I wanted to bake REAL bread - those that needed yeast and rising. And so...

Another one day...

I baked another bread... the apricot bread. This time, the entire process took me 3+ hours but i am so happy with the results.

Banana Walnut Bread (adapted from Women's Weekly)

Ingredients:

• 400-460 g mashed banana (overripe bananas)
• 180 g brown sugar (original recipe called for 220 g)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 40 g melted butter
• 125 ml plain yoghurt (original recipe called for buttermilk)
• 90 g mulberry molasses (original recipe called for treacle)
• 225 g plain flour
• 150 g self-raising flour (i used cake flour)
• 2 tsp mixed spice (i used cinnamon)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 80 g walnuts, toasted and chopped (not in original recipe)

Method:

1. preheat oven to 180DegC. Grease 14cmX21cm loaf pan; line base and long sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm over sides
2. combine banana, sugar, eggs, butter, yoghurt and molasses in a large bowl. stir in sifted dry ingredients (do not over-mix). spoon mixture into pan.
3. bake for 1 hour. stand bread in pan 10 mms before turing, top side up onto a wire rack for cooling

Apricot Bread (adapted from Good Housekeeping)

Ingredients:

• 450 g bread flour, plus extra to dust
• 1 tsp salt
• 25 g unsalted butter, diced and plus extra to grease
• 75 g dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tsp instant dried yeast
• 2 tbsp mulberry molasses
• milk to glaze

Method:

1. put flour in a large bowl
2. add b the salt and rub in the butter.
3. stir in the apricots and yeast
4. make a well in the middle and gradually work in the molasses and about 225ml hand-hot warm water to form a soft dough. Knead 8-10 min until smooth and then transfer dough into a greased bowl. 
5. cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 1/4 hrs until double in size
6. punch the dough to knock back, then divide in half. shape each portion into a small, flattish round and put on a well flour baking sheet.
7. cover loosely and leave to rise for another 30 min
8. preheat oven to 220degC and put a large baking sheet on the top shelf to heat up
9. using a sharp knife, cut several slashes on each round and brush with a little milk (i must be so hungry that i totally forgot this step and went immediately into step 10.)
10. transfer the two doughs onto the heated baking sheet. bake for 15 min, then reduce temperature to 190DegC and bake for a further 17 min until bread is risen and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. cool bread on a wire rack.