Sugar-free date and banana bread recipe
Ingredients
120 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon (or mixed spice)
75g dried dates (pieces) (you can substitute other dried fruit or a mixture of dried fruits)
50g butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract (or essence if you're feeling poor)
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
2-3 large or 4 small ripe bananas, mashed
Instructions
1. Weigh the dried dates into a small bowl and pour over boiling water to soak for 5-15 minutes. Continue with the next steps while they are soaking.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.
3. Grease a 450g/1lb loaf tin with butter. If you are using a metal one (not a silicone one), then also line it with baking parchment (if you're using a silicone one you don't need to line it).4. Weigh the flour, baking powder and cinnamon (or mixed spice) into another bowl and mix.
5. Weigh the butter and melt to either completely melted or very soft in a pan or in the microwave (be careful not to heat for too long in a microwave).
6. Add the melted/very soft butter, vanilla essence, egg, milk and bananas to a bowl and mash together with a fork.
7. Strain the water off the dates, add the dates to the wet (banana etc.) ingredients and mix.
8. Pour the wet (banana etc.) mixture into the dry flour mixture and mix thoroughly.
9. Pour the combined mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 - 45 mins, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn out onto a cooling rack.
NB You can double all the ingredients to make a loaf twice the size. If you do, it will take around 50-65 minutes to cook.
