This recipe makes two loaves or one loaf and 12 muffins.

Ingredients

1 cup of washed, dried apricots, roughly chopped

1 cup of washed sultanas (golden raisins in the US)

2 cups of washed, dried, pitted, dates, roughly chopped

1 cup of bran (either processed or unprocessed)

1 cup of rolled oats

3  cups of low-fat milk

1 cup of Splenda (sucralose)

3 cups of self-raising flour

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

Method

Place the dried fruit, the bran and the rolled oats in a bowl and add the milk. Mix it up and leave it to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. It really depends on whether you are using processed bran or unprocessed bran. Use an hour for the first and 30 minutes for the second.

In another bowl sift the flour, and cinnamon together. Add the Splenda to the wet ingredients and stir until it is all dissolved. Then, adding a little at a time, stir the dry ingredients into the wet fruit mix. Mix thoroughly and then put the mixture into either two loaf tins, or one loaf tin and two muffin tins (6 in each).

Heat your oven to 170F or 340C 340F or 170C.  If you are cooking muffins too then test them after 20 minutes ( I found mine took 25 minutes to cook). For the loaf turn the temperature down to 320F or 160C for another 20 minutes. Then test with a wooden skewer to see if it is cooked inside.

This loaf is lovely on its own or with some butter or cholesterol lowering margarine – your choice.

Recipe inspiration

This recipe is based on one from Catherine Saxelby and Jennene Plummer’s  wonderful book -  Zest Cookbook.

If you haven’t got it I advise you to take a look. You can buy it from the Book Depository with free shipping – see affiliate link) or direct from Catherine Saxelby’s Foodwatch website. It has some really splendid (and very healthy and nutritious) recipes.

My version of her recipe has more, and different dried fruits, uses Splenda instead of sugar and adds oats to the mix. I have, however, made her “Apricot Bran Loaf” and it is really yummy too.