Breakfast Loaves

Sweet and savoury starts to the day.

There are breakfast breads and then there are Jessica Brook’s moreish makeovers on the morning staple. Greet the day with classic corn fritters and bagels with cream cheese – in a loaf! – and modern, sweet (roasted banana) and savoury (goat’s cheese) takes. If these don’t get you out of bed…

“EASY TO MAKE AHEAD, SLICE AND FREEZE – YOUR STANDARD MORNING ‘BREAD’ JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT MORE INTERESTING.”

THESE QUICK BREAKFAST breads are perfect for on-the-go, a lazy weekend or even thinpartpartofaspreadforthebrunchcrowd.Pairingsomemuch-lovedcombinations–think corn fritters with avocado, classic bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese; yoghurt and poached fruit; and even a simple piece of toast with a cup of tea – these breakfast loaves are the perfect start to any day of the week.

Even the banana bread has had a makeover. I’ve made a healthier version with roasted banana, yoghurt and mixed seeds. I roast the bananas whole in their skins to not only bring out more flflavour, but also make them sweeter, so you don’t need to add as much sugar to the mix. A blend of seeds and yoghurt tie this loaf together into a new favourite.

CREAM CHEESE BAGEL LOAPULL-PULL-APARTLOAF

1/ 2 cup (125ml) buttermilk, plus extra

to brush

1/4 cup (75g) whole egg mayonnaise 3 eggs

21/ 3 cups (350g) plain flflour, sifted

1 tsp each bicarb soda, baking powder 50g unsalted butter, melted, cooled 2 tsp each white sesame seeds and

poppy seeds

1 tsp each garlic granules and

dried dill tips

Smoked salmon, baby parsley, cornichons, capers, sliced red onion, to serve

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

1 cup (240g) spreadable cream cheese,

chopped, softened

1/4 cup (30g) grated vintage cheddar 2 tbs chopped chives

1/4 cup flflat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan and line with baking paper, leaving 2cm overhanging on each side.

Place the buttermilk, mayonnaise and eggs in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.

Place the flflour, bicarb soda, baking powder and 1 tsp salt flflakes in a large bowl. Add the egg mixture and butter, and mix until combined. Turn out onto a flfloured surface and knead until smooth. Set aside.

For the cream cheese fifilling, place the cream cheese, cheddar, chives and parsley in a small food processor and whiz until smooth. Season.

Divide the dough into 9 portions and roll out each portion to a rough 10cm x 20cm rectangle. Divide the cream cheese mixture among the dough and roughly spread across half of each piece. Fold each piece together (short side to short side), and place in the pan with the folded open side facing up (there will be a bit of space in the pan – this is okay because the dough will expand when it bakes).

Place the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic granules, dill and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Brush the dough with extra buttermilk and sprinkle with seed mixture. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 mintues, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Slice and top with smoked salmon, cornichons and red onion. Scatter over capers and baby parsley to serve.

BLACK TEA, DRIED PEACH, QUINCE PASTE & CHIA SEED LOAF

11/ 2 tsp black tea leaves (we used Earl Grey)

250g dried peaches, chopped

2/ 3 cup (100g) currants

200g quince paste, chopped

1 tbs molasses

1/ 3 cup (50g) rapadura sugar

1 tsp bicarb soda

2 cups (300g) self-raising wholemeal flflour

1/4 cup (40g) black chia seeds

1/ 2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Ricotta and honey, to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan and line with baking paper, leaving 2cm overhanging on each side.

Combine the tea and 11/ 2 cups (375ml) boiling water in a small heatproof bowl and set aside to brew for 5 minutes.

Place the peach, currants, quince paste, molasses, sugar and bicarb soda in a medium saucepan. Add the tea mixture and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for 4 minutes or until the quince paste is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place flflour, chia seeds and baking powder in a large bowl. Add eggs and cooled fruit mixture, and mix to combine. Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices and toast, then top with ricotta and a drizzle of honey to serve.

TOASTED COCONUT, SALTED LEMON AND BLACKBERRY LOAF

1/3 cup (15g) flflaked coconut

1 1/2 cup (105g) shredded coconut, toasted

2 cups (300g) self-raising flflour

1/2 cup (55g) coconut flflour

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

1 cup (280g) unsweetened coconut

yoghurt

1/ 2 cup (175g) honey

1/4 cup (60ml) coconut milk

1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 preserved lemon (or 2 wedges if cut into wedges), pith removed and fifinely chopped

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

250g fresh blackberries (or frozen blackberries – don’t thaw ) Store-bought lemon curd, to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan and line with baking paper, leaving 2cm overhanging on each side.

Place the flflaked coconut and

2 tsp boiling water in a small bowl and toss to coat. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes (this will keep the coconut from browning too fast in the oven), then drain and set aside.

Place the shredded toasted coconut, flflour, coconut flflour and bicarb soda in a large bowl.

Place the yoghurt, honey, coconut milk, oil, eggs, preserved lemon and vanilla together and whisk to combine.

Add to the flflour mixture and fold until just combined. Fold through the blackberries and sprinkle with soaked flflaked coconut. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean (cover with foil if the loaf is browning too quickly).

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Top slices with store-bought lemon curd or extra coconut yoghurt to serve.

ROASTED BANANA, YOGHURT LO A AND AND MIXED SEED LOAF

4 bananas, skin on

2 cups (300g) wholemeal spelt flflour

1 tsp bicarb soda

1 1/4 cups (200g) mixed seeds (white and black sesame seeds, linseeds, sunflflower seeds)

1/3 cup (30g) rolled oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp mixed spice

1/2 cup (75g) rapadura sugar

1/3 cup (80ml) light flflavoured olive oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (140g) Greek style yoghurt

WHIPPED TAHINI AND TOASTED SESAME SEED BUTTER

150g softened unsalted butter

2 tbs tahini

1 tbs honey, plus extra to serve Toasted sesame seeds, to scatter

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan and line with baking paper with 2cm overhanging on each side.

For the tahini butter, place the butter in a small bowl, and using electric beaters, beat until light and flfluffy. Add the tahini and honey and beat to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

Place 3 of the bananas (in their skins) on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 20-30 minutes until soft and bubbling. Remove and set aside to cool slightly (the banana skins will turn black).

Meanwhile, place the flflour, bicarb soda, 1/4 tsp salt flflakes, 1 cup mixed seeds, 1/4 cup (20g) oats, cinnamon and mixed spice in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Peel the roasted bananas, place in a separate bowl with the sugar and mash. Add the oil, eggs and yoghurt and mix to combine. Add the banana mixture to the dry mixture and mix to combine. Pour into the pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mixed seeds and 10g oats. Peel the remaining banana and cut in half lengthwise. Press the halved banana on top of batter then place in the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then ransfer to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.

Serve banana bread toasted. Spread with tahini butter, drizzle over extra honey and scatter sesame seeds on top.

SOUR CREAM & CORN ‘FRITTER’ LOAF

1 1/4 cup (185g) self-raising flflour

1 cup (170g) instant polenta

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbs honey

1/ 2 cup (120g) sour cream, plus extra to serve

1 cup (250ml) buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

110g unsalted butter, melted, cooled 3 corn cobs, kernels removed

2 long green shallots, thinly sliced

1/4 cup coriander, fifinely chopped, plus extra to serve

1/4 cup (20g) fifinely grated parmesan

1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed Chilli sauce and sliced avocado, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan and line with baking paper, with 2cm overhanging on each side.

Whisk together the flflour, 1 tsp salt, polenta and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, sour cream, buttermilk and eggs and then slowly whisk in the melted butter.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (you want to still see a few lumps of flflour). Reserve 1/ 3 cup corn kernels and add the remaining corn, shallot and coriander, and fold to just combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a butter knife.

Mix the 1/ 3 cup corn, parmesan and coriander seeds together and press on top of the batter.

Bake for 1 hour 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 mintues in the pan, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Spread slices with extra sour cream and chilli sauce and top with avocado and extra coriander to serve.

ZUCCHINI, GOAT’S CHEESE, CHORIZO AND DARK RYE LOAF

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 brown onion, fifinely chopped

2 dried (240g total) chorizo, fifinely chopped

1/ 2 tsp caraway seeds, plus extra to scatter

1 tsp cumin seeds, plus extra to scatter

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flflour

4 eggs

4 medium (450g total) zucchini, grated

150g dark rye bread, torn into

3cm pieces

150g goat’s cheese, plus extra to serve

1/ 2 cup (60g) grated vintage cheddar Chopped chives, to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 10cm x 8cm deep loaf pan and line with baking paper, with 2cm overhanging on each side.

Heat oil in a medium non-stick frypan over medium high heat. Add onion, chorizo, caraway and cumin seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the flflour, eggs and zucchini in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the bread to the chorizo mixture and mix. Add both the cheeses and fold to combine.

Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a butter knife. Scatter with pepper, salt, extra caraway and cumin. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut loaf into slices. Spread extra goat’s cheese and top with chopped chives to serve.

Toasted coconut, salted lemon and blackberry loaf. OPPOSITE: black tea, dried peach, quince paste & chia seed loaf (recipes p 65).

Zucchini, goat’s cheese, chorizo and dark rye loaf (recipe p 66).

bananaRoastedRoastedbanana, yoghurt and mixed seed loaf (recipe p 66).

bageCreamCreamcheesebagel pull-apart loaf

Sour cream & corn ‘fritter’ loaf delicious.com.au/recipes breakfastForFormorebest-everbreakfasts to kickstart your day.