Use Your Loaf Goodness

I've always been intrigued by what I like to think of as nonsensical recipes.

Nonsensical recipes are those that sound as if they couldn't possibly work yet, despite an improbable ingredients list, deliver everything they promise.

Best-known, nonsensical recipes include the famous peanut butter cookies that bake up perfectly and comprise only of peanut butter, sugar, and an egg.

Vegan meringues made from chickpea brine fall into this category too.

Honeycomb magically produced from golden syrup, sugar, and bicarbonate of soda fascinates me.

And then there is this quite amazingly substantial, and most moreish, oat-based Porridge Bread.

It doesn't contain yeast so you can stir it up and bake immediately, it's packed with seeds and optional nuts, it's so amazingly delicious that it tastes like cake despite containing nothing but good-for-you ingredients, and it toasts beautifully.

Nonsensical, it may be, but it's non-negotiable that it's made as soon as possible.

Your summer sandwiches - and entire family - will be all the better for it.

Impossible Sounding Porridge Bread

400 ml plain yoghurt (that's 2 x 200 ml tubs)

2 tablespoons honey OR silan

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallow teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 to 2 teaspoons salt (I recommend 2 teaspoons Maldon salt)

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup mixed seeds/nuts

1: Pour the yoghurt, honey, and olive oil into a large bowl, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and salt, then mix in the oats and most of the nuts/seeds.

2: Spoon into a large loaf tin, flatten the top with a wet spoon so that the seeds don't stick to it, then run a knife down the middle to make a furrow and sprinkle over remaining seeds.

3: Bake at 180 C for 50 minutes but check at 40 minutes to make sure the top isn't getting too dark. Cover with foil if it is and continue baking

4: Turn the bread out to cool. If the base still feels a bit damp, place it upside down on a baking tray, and bake for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.

COOK'S NOTES: I make with a mix of sesame, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and chopped walnuts or pecans or cashews. Nuts are optional. Raisins make a lovely fruity addition. I make with silan and use 2 tablespoons and always use Maldon salt. Bread keeps well for approximately 3 to 4 days - it can be stored in the fridge - and can be frozen. Play with this basic mixture to make it your own!