Fruit & Nut Bread

A friend of mine asked me for the recipe of a Hot Cross Bun Fruit Bread I made last year.... I realised the recipe had been in the Instagram post but I'd never captured it anywhere else a little more permanent! I could have scrolled WAY back, but figured it would make more sense to jump back in the kitchen and actually write one down for her!  

I created this loaf with a great combination of nuts, seeds and dried fruit and it's held together with a base of buckwheat flour and psyllium husk.

It's packed full of flavour from the classic hot cross bun spices and is super nutrient dense and has minimal added sugar.    I love to toast up a few slices for a super filling breakfast on the go, but it also served me as a wonderful snack on my night shift recently!

The healthy fats from the nuts kept me going and the fruit was just the right kind of sweet to meet my cravings and stop me reaching for the chocolate and bag of mixed lollies!  

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup almonds

• 1/2 cup walnuts

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced

• 1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground clove

• 1/2 tsp mixed spice

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 Tbsp psyllium husk

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

1. The night before (or at least 4 hour), place the nuts and seeds in a big bowl of water and leave to soak over night.

2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf pan with baking paper.

3. Drain the water from the nuts and seeds, and add the dried fruit to the bowl.

4. In a second bowl, combine flour, spices and psyllium husk and mix well.

5. Add the flour and spices to the nuts and seeds and mix well.

6. Add 1 cup of water, coconut oil and maple syrup to the bowl and mix again.

7. Transfer the mixture to your loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with extra sunflower seeds for decoration.

8. Place in the oven for 50=55 minutes, testing with a skewer to make sure it's done.

9. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes, then slice and enjoy.

This load freezes beautifully, but make sure you slice the loaf prior to freezing so you can pull out a slice at a time for the toaster.