Bran collection: Apricot, almond, bran and raisin loaf

I decided to bake this loaf in celebration of the fact that Kellogg’s now sells All Bran here in Indonesia after 8 years of me living here! I know everyone isn’t a huge fan of this cereal but my dad usually had it for breakfast in the mornings when I was growing up so there was always a box of it in the cupboard. I don’t think I was especially a huge fan of it to start, but over the years I began to enjoy it. I liked to pour the milk over it and let the cereal soften for a minute of two and add a spoonful of raisins before shoveling it down my throat usually seconds before running out the door to school or years later work! Every now and again I used it in baking too, trying out the recipes that would sometimes appear on the side of the cereal box.

Who wouldn't want a slice or two of this delicious loaf at breakfast?

A bowl of All Bran and milk even features in the recipe!

On moving to Indonesia very few of the healthier breakfast cereals I enjoyed were actually available. It wasn’t a huge deal as I’m very fussy about the milk I like (I’m not a big dairy fan full-stop, but am especially fussy about milk!) and it was years before I found one here I enjoyed enough to even think about having over a bowl of cereal! As the years passed I found a milk I could tolerate in a bowl of Weetabix or muesli and gradually more and more cereals have become available too. I really started to miss All Bran and friends have even brought me a small box from abroad a few times when visiting me so when I found it for sale here in Bali I was elated! It really is the little things that make me happy! Haha. I was not only looking forward to the occasional bowl of All Bran at breakfast, but I thought it would be great to start using it in baking again as we all know how important it is to get your bran fix.



A slice or two of this will keep you going until lunch!

I decided my first recipe would be a loaf and the recipe I came up with featuring dried apricots, almonds and raisins with the All Bran was delicious. It is fantastic at any time of day but my husband and I especially enjoyed a slice or two of it at breakfast time, warmed for a few seconds with butter, or jam or honey spread on it. It is lovely and moist so great by itself too. Due to it being quite dense (because of the bran content), we were slicing it quite thinly so the loaf lasted the two of us the best part of a week in the fridge.

Even if you are not a fan of All Bran as a breakfast cereal, do try this recipe as it tastes very different mixed with all the other ingredients. It really is a delicious breakfast loaf recipe so that you start your day off the right way with something good that will fill you up and release energy slowly until lunch. It is perfect for an afternoon tea or coffee break too. So give it a go. You won’t regret it and it is super easy to make.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups of plain flour

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup of almond slivers

1 ½ cups of All-Bran cereal

1 ¼ cups of low-fat milk

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

½ cup finely chopped dried or semi-dried apricots

½ cup raisins



Flour, sugar, almond slithers, baking powder and salt.



Apricots and raisins keep this loaf nice and moist.

Method

1. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and almonds and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl mix together the cereal and milk and let stand for five minutes so that the cereal can soften.

3. Stir in the egg and the oil to the cereal and milk mixture and beat well. Add the flour mixture and the apricots and raisins. Stir until combined just.

Beat the egg and oil into the cereal and milk mixture.

4. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin or a loaf silicone mold. My silicone mold is about 9 x 5 inches.

The batter poured into my silicone loaf mold.

5. Bake at 180C in a pre-heated oven for about 60 mins or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. I covered the mold with tin foil for the first 40 mins so the tope didn’t burn and then uncovered it for the final 20mins. 

The finished loaf ready for slicing!

6. Let cool for 10 mins before removing from the tin or mold. Keeps for about a week. I kept mine in the fridge and cut off a few slices each morning, warmed them up and enjoyed them with either butter, or honey or jam spread on them! I got approximately 15 slices from this one loaf.

A breakfast favorite in my house!

Bake, slice, enjoy!