Banana And Apricot Bread

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried apricot (135g/4 1/2oz roughly chopped)
• 1/2 cup sultana (85g/2 3/4oz)
• 1 cup unsweetened apple juice (low gi 250ml/8fl oz)
• 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour (stone ground 360g/12 oz)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/2 cup oat bran (unprocessed 70g/2 1/4oz)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or low-calorie sweetner suitable for baking)
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 cup buttermilk (250ml/8fl oz)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup mashed banana (just ripe 240g/7 2/3oz)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 180c (350f/gas 4).
• 2 lightly grease and line a 10cm x 20cm (4inch x 8inch) loaf tin.
• 3 put the apricots, sultanas and apple juice into a pan and bgring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes or until the fruit has absorbed all the liquid.
• 4 sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a bowl and stir in the oat bran and sugar or sweetener.
• 5 whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and oil and stir into the dry ingredients and then fold in the mashed banana and fruit mixture.
• 6 spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
• 7 set aside for 5 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
• 8 serve the bread plain or with a low fat spread.