We’ve got some beautiful ideas here to kick-start your morning: Toasted coconut bread with tangy citrus marmalade; Apricot, cranberry and cardamom buns; A breakfast stack for a lazy weekend; Decadent oats that you can prepare the night before; Fluffy banana pancakes; Freshly baked bread; and Spiced fruit buns.
Toasted coconut bread with tangy citrus marmalade
Breakfast, afternoon tea, evening nibble, midnight feast…this loaf didn’t last 24 hours in our house. Toast some thick slices, smother them with coconut butter, and a big spoonful of zesty orange and lemon marmalade. Warm melty zesty golden heaven.
Ingredients: Coconut bread – 375g self-raising flour; 2 tsp cinnamon; 200g caster sugar; 150g shredded coconut; 3 tbsp ground flax seed; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 300ml almond milk; 75g coconut spread. Citrus marmalade – 5 oranges; 4 lemons; 1.5L cold water; 1kg sugar.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small cup, mix the ground flax seed with 3 tbsp water and set aside for 5 mins to thicken. Add the flax mixture, vanilla extract and almond milk to the dry ingredients. Melt the coconut spread and pop that in too. Mix everything together, pour into a loaf tin lined with baking paper and bake at 180°C for 1 hour.
For the marmalade, first finely zest the fruit (use a zester or a grater, or – if you like thick pieces – use a knife) and set aside. Halve the fruit and squeeze all the juice into a large saucepan. Pop the remainder (pith, pips etc) into a muslin bag and add that to the pan (this is full of pectin and will help the marmalade set). Pour over the water and bring to a boil. Bubble for an hour, then leave to cool and squeeze the muslin bag to add all the juices to the pan. Add the zest and the sugar, and stir on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Bring to the boil and bubble for 15 mins without stirring. Every 5 mins, test to see if it has reached setting point by spooning a few drops onto a cold plate. Once ready, pour into hot sterilised jars (washed in hot soapy water, then rinsed with boiling water), seal, and leave to set.
Apricot, cranberry & cardamom buns
The perfect breakfast for the Easter weekend (and every weekend forever more!) Fill your kitchen with warm aromas of spice, and your belly with these freshly baked beauties. Enjoy these warm with a big melty scoop of plant spread and this is pure perfection. Makes 12.
Ingredients: 300ml hot water; 8 cardamom pods; 2 star anise; 50g coconut oil; 100g apricot jam (plus extra for glazing); 500g strong bread flour (half white, half wholemeal); 2 tsp dried yeast; 1 tsp salt; 100g dried apricots and cranberries; 1 tsp mixed spice.
Pop your cardamom pods and star anise into 300ml hot water (just boiled) and leave to infuse for at least 20 mins (the longer the better). Melt the apricot jam and the coconut oil into the warm cardamom infusion (the oil won’t mix – that’s ok – it just needs to melt). Weigh the flour into a large bowl and add the salt to one side, and the yeast to the other, taking care to keep them separate. Add the warm liquid to the side with the yeast and mix together with your hands, gradually incorporating everything together. Knead for 5-10 mins until smooth and elastic, then put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
Press your fingers into the dough to deflate, and add the dried fruit and mixed spice. Knead to distribute evenly, then leave to rise again as before, until doubled in size.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, again pressing the air out. Roll each into a small ball and arrange on a baking sheet, lined with baking paper, leaving room for them to expand. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until they have each doubled in size. Alternatively you could leave them in the fridge overnight for this final rising stage.
Lightly sprinkle your buns with water and bake at 200°C for about 20 mins, until golden brown. While they’re still warm, brush the tops with apricot jam and serve straight away! Once cooled, you can store these in an air-tight bag and keep for later. They’re delicious toasted too.
The weekender breakfast stack
Doorstop toast stacked with a crispy potato rosti, oven-baked tomatoes and mushrooms, crunchy marinaded tofu, and lashings of baked beans. Delish! Get your tofu marinading the night before, then this is a fairly easy assembly job for a weekend morning. Serves 4.
Ingredients: Potato rosti – 4 desiree potatoes; 1 onion; 1 tbsp olive oil. Crispy tofu – 400g extra-firm tofu; 60ml soy sauce; 40g brown sugar; 1 lime; 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp bread crumbs; 1 tbsp plain flour; 1 tbsp black sesame seeds. Stack – 4 thick slices of bread (see recipe below); cherry tomatoes and mushrooms; 2 tins of baked beans.
Press the tofu with kitchen towel to remove as much water as possible, then dice into 1 inch cubes. Prepare the marinade – combine the soy sauce and brown sugar in a bowl, and microwave for 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the lime juice and freshly grated ginger, then pop the tofu cubes in and turn them over a few times to coat on all sides. Cover and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.
In a bowl, toss the marinaded tofu with the vegetable oil to coat. Add the breadcrumbs, flour and sesame seeds and toss again to coat. Pour out onto a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 mins at 180°C, turning halfway through. Pop the tomatoes and the mushrooms in with the tofu.
Make the potato rosti – grate the potatoes and rinse in cold water using a sieve. Squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can, then place in a large bowl with the grated onion and some salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and use your hands to make 4 patties from the mixture. Fry on both sides until golden and crispy, pressing down to flatten. Meanwhile, get your baked beans heating up in a pan.
Toast your bread and drizzle with olive oil, then stack with the rosti, tomatoes, mushrooms, and the tofu. Add a hearty scoop of baked beans and enjoy!
Wake me up oats
This is an every day staple for us, topped with any fruits or nuts that we have available. By soaking oats in water overnight, you wake up to a creamy porridge that you can embellish with whatever you fancy. For a warming start to the morning, pop it in the microwave for 2 mins. Serves 2.
Ingredients: 1 banana; 2 cups of oats; 2 cups of water. Optional: 1 tsp vanilla essence; scoop of nut butter; handful of dried fruit; dash of maple syrup, scattering of chia seeds… anything you like!
To make two bowls, mash half the banana into each bowl and add 1 cup of oats and 1 cup of water to each. Add any nut butter/dried fruit/syrup that you like, and chia seeds if using. Stir to combine. Leave covered overnight. In the morning, scatter with fresh fruit or toasted muesli, and enjoy.
Breakfast pancakes
These pancakes are so quick and easy, and you can be as creative with them as you like! Here’s the basic recipe for banana pancakes, with some suggested alternatives. Serves 2.
Ingredients: 1 ripe banana, 125g self-raising flour, 175ml water, dash of coconut oil, and embellishments of your choosing (e.g. a handful of fresh berries, dried fruit, orange zest, cinnamon, dark chocolate shavings…or a combination of any of these!) Toppings: vanilla soya yoghurt/ fresh fruit/ maple syrup/ toasted nuts/ marmalade
Mash the banana then whisk together with the flour and the water. The mixture should be thick enough to spoon into the pan – add a little more flour if it’s too runny. Add the embellishments of your choosing – we like to add a scattering of raisins with orange zest and a dash of cinnamon.
Heat a large pan or griddle on a high temperature, then add a tsp of coconut oil and spoon the pancake mixture into the pan. We normally have 5-6 on the go at the same time, but they will spread out so keep some distance between each one. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until they’re golden and nicely risen. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings. We’ve gone for some homemade marmalade here (melted with a dash of boiling water), vanilla soya yoghurt and fresh strawberries.
You can use a plant-based milk instead of water, but we have found that it doesn’t make any difference – they’re just as fluffy and delicious with water. Many plant-based milks come in packaging that is not easy to recycle and ends up in landfill
Daily bread
You can’t beat a freshly home baked loaf, and this is so simple you can make it every day. You’ll feel like you’re winning at life, and not a plastic bag in sight. Makes 3 baguettes.
Ingredients: 500g strong bread flour (white or a 50:50 mix with wholemeal); 2 tsp dried yeast; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tsp salt; 300ml warm water; 2 tbsp olive oil.
Weigh out the flour in a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar to one side of the bowl, and the salt to the other – the salt will kill the yeast so it’s important to keep them separate at this stage. Add the warm water and mix everything together roughly with your hands, finally adding the oil. It will be a sticky mess, but it will come together with kneading. Tip the mess onto the kitchen surface and knead hard for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back when you press a finger into it. This is the hard work over. Pop the dough back into the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place until it’s doubled in size (usually about an hour). You can also leave the dough to rise in the fridge, but it will take longer – perfect if you’re going out for the day or if you want to leave it overnight.
Knock the dough back by prodding it with your fingers until it’s deflated. You can then shape it into any form you like from a large loaf to a batch of rolls, or you can use it as a pizza base. We like to make baguettes, so we divide the dough into 3 balls and then roll each into a sausage shape. Leave them on a baking tray, under a damp kitchen towel, in a warm place until they have doubled in size. Be careful not to over-prove here. It normally takes about an hour to prove, but if you can’t wait around you can pop them in the fridge to slow this down.
Heat your oven to 200°C (fan ovens). Slash the bread with a very sharp knife (careful not to squash your beautifully risen loaves) and scatter with water to ensure a moist surface as this helps them rise further. Cook for 10-20 mins (for baguettes or rolls – larger loaves will need longer), turning down the heat a little if they are browning very quickly. Tap the bottoms and if they sound hollow, they’re ready. Enjoy them while they’re fresh!
Cinnamon fruit buns
Freshly baked, these spiced fruity buns will fill your home with delicious aromas to rival any bakery! You can prove them overnight and then bake them first thing for a weekend breakfast. We’ve glazed ours with marmalade and served them with lashings of coconut spread. Yummy! Makes 12.
Ingredients: 500g strong bread flour (half white, half wholemeal); 2 tsp dried yeast; 1 tsp salt; 2 tsp crushed flax seed; 300ml freshly brewed black tea; 50g coconut oil; 100g chunky orange marmalade (plus extra for glazing); 100g dried fruit; 1 tsp cinnamon.
Brew yourself a nice pot of tea and enjoy a cuppa while saving 300ml for the buns. Melt the marmalade and the coconut oil into the hot tea (the oil won’t mix, don’t worry). Measure the flax seed into a small cup and add just enough water to cover, then set aside to thicken for 5 mins. Weigh the flour into a large bowl and add the salt to one side, and the yeast to the other, taking care to keep them separate. Add the warm zesty tea mixture to the side with the yeast and mix together with your hands, gradually incorporating everything together. Add the flax mixture and knead into a sticky dough. Knead for 5-10 mins until smooth and elastic, then put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
Press your fingers into the dough to deflate, and add the dried fruit and cinnamon. Knead to distribute evenly, then leave to rise again as before, until doubled in size.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, again pressing the air out. Roll each into a small ball and arrange on a baking sheet, lined with baking paper, leaving room for them to expand. Again, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until they have each doubled in size. Alternatively you could leave them in the fridge overnight for this final rising stage.
Lightly sprinkle your buns with water and bake at 200°C for about 20 mins, until golden brown. While they’re still warm, brush the tops with marmalade and serve straight away! Once cooled, you can store these in an air-tight bag and keep for later. They’re delicious toasted too.
