Friday, March 30, 2012

Bran, Pear and Date Loaf Recipe

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Slices of the loaf can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the freezer for addition to lunch boxes or breakfast on the run.

You will need a ripe medium-sized (200 gram) pear for this recipe. If you are using peeled chopped pear flesh (e.g. canned pear), you will need 160 grams.

For accuracy, we use digital scales to weigh ingredients. We have included volume measurements in Australian Standard cups (250ml) and spoons (20ml tablespoon, 5ml teaspoon). Our large eggs have an average weight of 60 grams including shell.

70g (1 cup) All-Bran (wheat bran breakfast cereal)
62ml (1/4 cup) oil (any mild-flavoured oil could be used e.g. sunflower)
200g (3/4 cup) Greek-style natural yoghurt (we used a yoghurt with 9.7 percent fat)
32g (1 tablespoon) golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) vanilla extract
85g (1/3 cup plus 3 teaspoons) raw sugar
118g (2/3 cup) deseeded dried dates, roughly chopped
1 large egg
One ripe 200g pear (we used a William Bartlett pear)
75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
55g (1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
55g (1/3 cup) blanched almonds, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced). Adjust the oven rack to the lower half of the oven so the top of the loaf will be in the centre of the oven (not necessary for a fan-forced oven).

Grease a 6cm high, 19cm by 9cm (base measurement) loaf pan. Line pan with baking paper.

In a large bowl, place bran, oil, yoghurt, golden syrup, vanilla, sugar, dates and egg.
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Stir to combine ingredients.
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Peel pear, cut in half, and discard stalk and core. Cut pear flesh into small (about 1-2cm) pieces. Add pear to bowl with bran mixture.
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Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, sift self-raising flour, plain flour and bicarbonate of soda together to thoroughly combine and remove any lumps.

Add the flour mixture to the bran mixture.
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Fold ingredients together until just combined (don't over-mix the batter as this
can result in a loaf with a tough texture).

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Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
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Sprinkle with almonds and lightly press nuts into the batter.
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Bake loaf for about 40-50 minutes, until risen and lightly browned. A thin-bladed knife or wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf should come out without raw batter attached.

Allow loaf to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes. Using the baking paper as handles, lift the loaf from the pan.

Serve slices of the loaf warm or at room temperature.
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Store cooled loaf in an airtight container at cool room temperature, or refrigerate but allow to come to room temperature before serving. Suitable to freeze. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

21 comments:

  1. Wow that looks good. Would the sugar and golden syrup rule it out of being any good for diabetics? (Just learning on the whole diabetic thing...) :)

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  2. This looks wonderful! I love the idea of pears and dates - beautiful flavours.

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  3. Looks so wonderfully rustic and home style! I love it. And the crusty topping of the almonds look delicious xo

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  4. This looks delicious! I love dates! I'm going to try this soon, replacing the pear with apple and bran for rolled oats. Thanks for the recipe.

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  5. you're back, phew. looks yum xx

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  6. Have had a craving for loaf lately so baked this last night - it was absolutely divine...there isn't much left this morning!! - Jen

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  7. I made this today and it was very nice! Just wondering though if you think it would be possible to make with raspberries instead of dates? I'm guessing it may be possible if I cut back slightly on the liquid content?

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  8. Nice blog, but how do I access the other recipes here? I um unable to figure out how to view your previous posts.

    Thanks!

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  9. I made this last night. Absolutely delicious. Once again another successful Exclusively Food recipe!!

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  10. Amazing recipe as usual! I didn't have raw sugar so used brown and replaced the dates with 1/3 cup date paste, topped with pecans and added a dash of cinnamon. So yummy!

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  11. This load looks ideal for breakfast - I love the recipe :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  12. It looks awsome.

    Especially, the photos of the preperation make us understand every step by just looking at.

    We believe that there is no language of taste. At our site (www.ye-mek.in (English Version)) we try to take lots of photos of preperation like you. But your photos are really awsome... We love your recipe and your photos...

    Thaks for sharing this great recipe with these nice photos :)

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  13. very interesting recipe!good!

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  14. I found your site through another blog and just subscribed to your feed. Can't wait to see what your next creation is!

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  15. Oh yum! I would've left out the pear though and just made it a date loaf. Double yum!

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  16. I love your whole site, your recipes and photography are A1. This loaf sounds delicious as pears are not used a great deal compared to apples. I'm new to food blogging in Enland at Fabfood4all.co.uk I hope you can visit sometime!

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  17. Mmmm this sounds delish! I made a pear and almond loaf once and it came out horribly but I can tell just by reading this one that it'll be better! Printing it off now and hope to make it soon!

    I agree with "anonymous" though. I'm new to your blog and can't see an "older posts" button, or similar. Are all your recipes just listed in the sidebar? Thanks!

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  18. This looks mouth-watering. I love dates! Thanks for sharing

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  19. Love using this recipe as you just throw everything in and mix - perfect for one of my sleepless nights, I usually get up and cook!
    It tasted devine, thanks xx

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  20. Made this last weekend and it turned out so beautiful. Will definitely keep this recipe in my recipe book.

    thank you

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