Banana, Dates and Rum Loaf
"You will only have to prepare this banana dates and rum loaf, to understand what this really is like. It’s a power loaf. I love its multi use and purposefulness and I say this because of what you can make with it. Using it as a sweet toast, making a French toast with it or use it as a slice of sweet bread for a savoury breakfast such as egg and bacon. My kids’ favourite one is as shown in the picture, served with a nice creamy Greek style organic yoghurt and a nice homemade jam."
NotesServe warm or cold.
For this nice and shiny looks, I do mix 1 tsp of cinnamon with one or two tbsp honey and a good squeeze of lemon and brush it over the loaf immediately as I take it out of the oven so while it is still very hot. It gets soaked in immediately.
Preparation Time10 min
Chilling Time1 hr
Cooking Time45 min
Ingredients
- 500 g spelt flour (light)
- 40 g cane sugar (plus 2 tbs to mix with yeast)
- 10 g dry yeast (best to use the fast action version)
- 1 tsp himalayan salt
- 110 g butter (melted)
- 120 g dates (chopped)
- 3 medium bananas (very ripe) (mushed)
- 90 g banana chips (slightly crushed)
- 1 tsp rum essence
- 1 handful walnut (chopped and roasted)
Instruction
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Prepare an oven baking tray with greasing it. Set aside.
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Place the yeast and one tbsp sugar into a mug. Add 100ml lukewarm water and stir. Allow it 5 minutes to dissolve.
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In a larger bowl, mix the flour with the salt, the sugar, the rum and the mashed bananas. Add the yeast, cream and the butter and start kneading.
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Knead this forms a dough for about 10 minutes (laborious a little may sound, I know, but it’s all well worth it in the end). It will get all nice and smooth (ok, maybe with little lumps from the bananas if those were not proper ripe ones but nothing to worry) and that’s the sign that this is actually done. Add the chopped dates, nuts and knead for a further minute or two to incorporate those.
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Drizzle some oil over it make it into a ball shape and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour.
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The dough will rise nicely, knock it down a little and divide into three pieces.
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On a flour dusted or oiled surface start rolling each piece into a sausage shape. Do the same with all three.
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Plait all three together and place on the baking tray. Leave again (covered) in a warm place to rise for at least 40 minutes.
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About 10-15 min before it's ready for baking, put oven on and preheat at 180C fan assisted or 200C otherwise.
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Bake for about 35-45 minutes until nice and golden.