A British bramley breakfast
This is essential apple on toast with a sprinkle of almonds, but when your out of breakfast ideas it's a winner – fruit yes, edible nuts yes, carbohydrates yes, fats yes! Its easy to prepare but it's a slow 25 mins in the oven, however they taste good cold the day after, so it's a breakfast you could make the night before, let it cool and pop in an air tight container. Great first food and also for older babies where you can cut the toast into smaller squares. Unfortunately the bramley apple is another story of how men take the credit of a women's or even a girls creativity - the first 'Bramley's Seedling' tree grew from pips planted by Mary Ann Brailsford when she was a young girl in her garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK in 1809. The tree in the garden was later included in the purchase of the cottage by a local butcher, Matthew Bramley in 1846. In 1856, a local nurseryman, Henry Merryweather asked if he could take cuttings from the tree and start to sell the apples. Bramley agreed but insisted that the apples should bear his name! The cheek! So on that note, any cooking apple would work in this recipe.
Makes 4 rounds of toast or 12 baby fingers
Ingredients
1 bramley apple (or any cooking apple) peeled, cored and sliced thinly – around 3mm or 0.3cm
1 tsp agave nectar (or honey [not for under 1s] or brown sugar) – choose your sweetener!
Pinch of cinnamon (optional – works well with or without)
2 tbsp ground almonds
4 slices of medium or thick sliced bread
Unsalted butter – for spreading on the bread and a few small drops on top
Method
1. Butter both sides of the bread and put on a baking tray
2. Toss the apple slices with the agave nectar (and cinnamon if using) and arrange on top of the bread – press down a little on them.
3. Sprinkle ½ tbsp ground almonds on each slice of bread with apples. And press down again gently.
4. Put a few small drops of butter scattered on top of the ground almonds, apple bread.
5. Pop in preheated oven fan 180C for around 25 mins
6. Take out and using a pizza cutter (or good knife) cut the crusts off and the toasts into fingers. Wait around 5 mins before eating as they will be HOT!
Tips
Leave the butter out of the fridge for around an hour before attempting to spread it on soft bread! Great first food and also for older babies where you can cut the toast into smaller squares.
Facts
The first 'Bramley's Seedling' tree grew from pips planted by Mary Ann Brailsford when she was a young girl in her garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK in 1809. The tree in the garden was later included in the purchase of the cottage by a local butcher, Matthew Bramley in 1846. In 1856, a local nurseryman, Henry Merryweather asked if he could take cuttings from the tree and start to sell the apples. Bramley agreed but insisted that the apples should bear his name! The cheek!