And you didn’t think hot cross buns could get any better…
Recipe and styling by Claire Ferrandi
Photograph by Dylan Swart
Hot cross bun banana bread
Ingredients
- cooking spray/butter, to grease
- 50g pitted dates
- 80ml (⅓ cup) avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 300g mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas) + extra banana slices, to top
- 60ml (4 tbsp) milk of your choice (we used soya milk)
- 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
- pinch salt
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon + extra, to sprinkle
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 100g ground almonds
- 30ml (2 tbsp) psyllium powder (find at health stores)
- 50g coconut flour
- zest of 2 oranges
- 60ml (4 tbsp) warm water
- 75g pecan nuts, roughly chopped + extra, to serve (optional)
- 50g sultanas
- nut butter, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Grease and line the base and sides of a standard loaf tin of 1L capacity (usually 21,6cm x 11,4cm x 6,35cm) with baking paper.
Place the pitted dates in a small bowl and pour over boiling water to cover them. Soak, 10 minutes, then drain and discard the water. Set the softened dates aside until needed.
In a blender, place the softened dates, avocado oil, eggs, mashed bananas, milk, bicarbonate of soda, salt, spices, ground almonds, psyllium powder, coconut flour, orange zest and the 60ml (4 tbsp) warm water. Don’t add the chopped pecan nuts and sultanas just yet. Blitz until smooth and well combined, then stir in the chopped pecan nuts and sultanas. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle over the extra ground cinnamon. Bake in the preheated oven, 50 – 60 minutes.
Allow to cool, about 30 minutes, before removing the bread from the loaf tin and slicing to serve with your choice of nut butter, banana slices and extra chopped pecan nuts, if desired.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
