WALNUT AND FLAXSEED BANANA BREAD WITH LOTS OF TOPPINGS

For the banana bread:

❚ ½ cup (125 mL) virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for the pan

❚ ¾ cup (175 mL) walnuts ❚ 1 cup (250 mL) ground almonds

❚ Pinch of sea salt flakes ❚ Generous pinch of ground nutmeg

❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

❚ 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder ❚ 1 cup (250 mL) oat bran ❚ ¾ cup (175 mL) flaxseeds or golden linseeds

❚ 1⁄ cup (75 mL) runny honey 3 ❚ 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract ❚ 500 g (1 lb 2oz) banana flesh ( from 4–5 bananas), as ripe as possible Toppings I love:

❚ Peaches, raspberries, ricotta or mascarpone cheese and honey or honeycomb ❚ Figs, yogurt and honeycomb ❚ Butter and honey or honeycomb or jam, or date syrup or maple syrup

❚ Yogurt and honey or honeycomb and a sprinkle of toasted nuts, seeds or granola, with fresh fruit

❚ Yogurt and berries or fruit compote, with a sprinkle of granola

❚ Nut butter, jam or squashed berries or banana

❚ Homemade chocolate spread or ganache

❚ Ice cream and melted chocolate

❚ Tahini, maple syrup, chopped dates or figs and sesame seeds or walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Oil an 18 x 11 x 8 cm (7 x 4 ½ x 3 in) loaf pan and line the base and sides with a piece of baking parchment, so it’s easy to remove the bread after baking.

2. In a food processor, process the walnuts until fine. Add the ground almonds, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder, oat bran and seeds and process to combine. Use a spatula to scrape the ingredients off the bottom of the bowl and process once more.

3. Add the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and bananas and process until as smooth as possible. (If there are a few lumps of banana, that’s fine.)

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C), rotate the pan and bake for a further 30–40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out just clean and the top of the loaf is dark golden brown and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan, then remove from the pan and serve with any of the toppings listed on the left, or just with butter.

5. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 1 week, or cut and freeze in slices for up to 1 month. When it’s less fresh, it’s nice warmed up a little in the oven, on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

Variation: Raisins or dried fruit, whole nuts and other seeds are all nice additions to the batter, each lending a little more flavour and texture.

Serves: 10-12