No. 49 - Steamed Loaf Take 2 - Fruit Tea Loaf

Now I have produced a firm (very firm) dense loaf which cuts easily and tidily into slices and can be buttered without falling to pieces and sticking to the butter-loaded knife.

Much better – possibly even too far the other way.    The recipe calls for self-raising flour and the only SR flour I had was wholemeal.  Too much bran.  On review I think that I would recommend 50/50 plain/wholemeal SR flour.

This amount made my three little tins and a 1 lb loaf tin which I baked in a tray of water in the oven.

 

Fruit Tea Loaf

500 g mixed fruit

1.5 cups of strong tea (use more if you are going for the full bran experience of wholemeal flour)
250 g caster sugar

Soak all this together for a few hours (preferably overnight)

1 egg

500 g self-raising flour  (or half/half wholemeal/plain self raising flour)
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp grated nutmeg

Stir the egg into the soaked fruit and sift in the dry ingredients.  Mix well and spoon it into your prepared baking (or steaming) tins.  Steam for 1 hour.

You will need a 2lb loaf tin if you are baking it (1 hour at 170 degrees C – fan oven).  I suggest that you stand the loaf tin in a roasting dish with an inch of so of water in it.

No 46 - Zucchini Bread

A bit of a misnomer because it is not bread - more cake or sweet 'loaf'.  However I harvested the first zucchini of this season on Saturday, so I'm getting in the mindset to be over-run by them (which to be frank would be preferable to last year's impoverished harvest).

I love zucchini in cakes and muffins; lots of lovely moistness without much impact on flavour.

Zucchini Bread

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1 ½  cups sugar (I use light brown sugar)

3 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups plain flour
2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp salt (optional)

1 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Pre-heat the oven to 160^o C (325^o F) and prep a large loaf tin (or two small ones).

Beat the first 4 ingredients together until the mixture is thick and fluffy.  Stir in the grated zucchini.  Fold in the sifted dry ingredients, and seeds.

Even it out in your loaf tin and bake for about an hour (until a skewer comes out clean).

 

or try a round one.....