Pear & Ginger Loaf

There is a beautiful café that recently opened near the suburb where I grew up. I went there with my mum and sisters and we had a lovely morning chatting over breakfast and coffee. I ordered the pear and ginger loaf with caramelised banana and Greek yoghurt - wow, I was impressed! This one of course was made with processed flour and white sugar. I simply had to healthify this one (I know that is not really a word).

What is good about it? The psyllium husk, pears, and buckwheat boost the fibre content. The almond meal, nuts, and seeds provide healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. It is also a protein packed loaf to help keep you full and curb any sugar cravings. It is gluten-free as buckwheat has no gluten and is actually not derived from wheat in any way. This recipe can also be sugar-free if you use stevia instead of honey or maple syrup.

Ingredients:

½ cup almond meal 1½ cup buckwheat flour ¼ cup ground flaxseed/chia 2 tablespoons psyllium husk 3 ripe juicy pears 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup milk of choice 3 eggs 1 tablespoon oil (coconut/olive) 2 tablespoons sweetener (honey/maple syrup/stevia) 2-3cm piece of ginger ¼ cup chopped walnuts 3 chopped medjool dates

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Line a bread tin or silicon loaf pan (22cm x 9cm x 6cm) with baking paper. Sift almond meal, buckwheat flour, flaxseed/chia, and psyllium husk into a bowl. Wash and deseed one pear and combine with vanilla, baking soda, milk, eggs, oil sweetener, and ginger in a blender. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the walnuts and dates and fold through. Cut the remaining two pears into 8 wedges each. Fill bread tin with half the batter and spread evenly. Top with half the pear wedges. Cover with the rest of the batter and top with the remaining pear wedges. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. You may need to cover it with some baking paper if it starts to brown too much. Let cool in tin. Slice and enjoy with caramelised banana, yoghurt, and a drizzle of honey. It is also divine with some fresh ricotta and honey or a smear of almond butter. Enjoy!