Ingredients
- 1 cup all-bran
- 1 cup dried fruit
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup self-raising flour
Instructions
- Start by adding the bran, sugar, fruit and milk to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together and then allow the bran to soak for at least 1 hour.
- Add the flour and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper.
- Bake at 180 °C for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and turn on to a wire rack to cool.
When you think of bran, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If you’re thinking unappealing, bland, or lack of flavor then you’re with what most people would think. However, don’t be put off by the bran in this recipe, as this health loaf is anything but bland, unappealing and tasteless.
This recipe is one of my Nan’s recipes, it was one of the first entries into my recipe collection, and it gets made on a regular basis. Although I’ve always known it as a health loaf, I don’t actually think it’s that healthy. The bran certainly is healthy but there is a bit of sugar in this recipe too.
This recipe is easy to remember because everything is done in 1’s – 1 cup of each ingredient, rest for 1 hour, bake for 1 hour. Make it a few times and you won’t even have to refer to the recipe at all.
Preparing the Bran
Bran is a great source of fiber, its relatively cheap, and it’s found in most supermarkets and health food shops. I’ve typically always used what’s known in Australia as “All Bran”, a breakfast cereal but other variations of bran (such as flaky bran) will also work.
Start by taking your bran, sugar and fruit and soak them in milk in a bowl for at least one hour. This will help soften the bran for the loaf batter.
Other notes for preparing the batter:
- Instead of using plain sultanas you could try adding mixed fruit as an alternative.
- You can vary the amount of sugar that you add – try 1/2 cup sugar instead if you want to make the recipe a bit healthier.
Baking the Health Loaf
With the bran soaked, the next step is to add in the self raising flour. Add and stir the flour through and then transfer the batter to a loaf pan. If you lightly grease the loaf pan before adding the batter it will help at the other end.
Bake the health loaf in a moderate oven for 1 hour. This seems like a long time to bake it for, but it’s needed being quite a dense loaf.
Serving the Health Loaf
Remove the loaf from the tin while warm and then slice into thick slices. The loaf taste great when it’s still warm and you slather it with a thick smear of butter.
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container. I suggest reheating for 5-10 seconds in the microwave to warm through, which helps melt the butter on top. This loaf makes for a great afternoon tea snack with a cup of tea/coffee. It also packs great for lunchboxes.
