Macadamia and dried pear loaf with salted caramel butter

Ingredients (serves 12)
Macadamia & dried pear loaf

• 50 g rolled oats
• 180 ml milk
• ½ cup Greek honey yoghurt
• 240 g wholemeal self-raising (or gluten-free) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 150 g dried pears, chopped
• 75 g soft brown (or coconut) sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 lightly beaten free-range egg
• 100 g macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped

Salted caramel butter

• 300 g caster (or coconut) sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• 240 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 200 g cream, warm
• 1 tbsp salt flakes

Method
Macadamia & dried pear loaf

Soak oats in the milk and yoghurt in a small bowl for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and line a 20 cm loaf tin with baking paper. Place flour, baking powder and allspice into a bowl and stir in the rolled oats mixture, dried pears, sugar, honey, egg and 60 g of the macadamia nuts until combined. Spoon into loaf tin and sprinkle with the remaining macadamia nuts. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer comes away clean. Leave to cool.

Salted caramel butter

Place sugar and water in a saucepan, cook on low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase to a high heat and boil until a deep golden caramel forms. Turn the heat off before adding the butter in three separate amounts, stirring after each addition. Stir through the cream until combined. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool before refrigerating until completely chilled. Place in a food processor and blend for two minutes until lighter in colour and texture. Return to the bowl and stir through the salt flakes.

To serve: slice loaf and generously spread with whipped salted caramel butter.

Recipe and images from Food of the Southern Forests by Sophie Zalokar

NEXT: try George Calombaris' Blueberry bread or browse more dessert recipes