Malt Loaf
/
We haven’t had malt loaf for ages, a childhood favourite we decided to give baking our own a go. We followed a Meera Sodha recipe found in the Guardian, it was surprisingly quick and easy to make.
You’ll need 2 mixing mixing bowls, loaf or baking tin.
Makes 1 large loaf / 8-10 servings.
Ingredients (when in italics available from the van)
Rapeseed oil, for greasing
2 tbsp milled chia seeds (approx 15p)
150ml brewed tea, hot (we used 1 tablespoon of loose English breakfast approx 18p)
1 tbsp lemon juice
150ml malt extract, plus extra for brushing
80g coconut sugar (64p)
250g dried fruit (we used raisins, figs and prunes), chopped into raisin-sized pieces (approx £2)
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder (approx 4p)
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (approx 3p)
¼ tsp sea salt (approx 1p)
Total cost from Incredible Bulk approx £3.05.
Method:
Heat the oven to 180C and grease and line your tin with baking paper.
Put the milled chia seeds in a small bowl with five tablespoons of water and leave to one side to bloom.
Meanwhile, put the hot tea, lemon juice, malt extract, sugar and fruit in a heatproof bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the bloomed seeds, flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Mix well, then spoon into the prepared tin.
Bake for 50-60 minutes (the timing will depend on the shape of your loaf tin), or until a skewer comes out clean. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush the top with more malt extract (or we used some date syrup for a bit of extra sweetness) and leave to cool. Eat warm with your favourite spread or wrap in baking paper and keep in an airtight tin, where it will get stickier and keep for up to a week.
Zero Waste Tips
Use home compostable baking parchment paper.
Reuse your tea leaves - should be good for a cup of tea to eat your malt loaf with!