Kie's take on Classic Banana Bread (Breadmaker Method)

1. Peel and mash the bananas thoroughly in a bowl until smooth with only a few small lumps remaining. The riper and spottier the bananas, the sweeter and more flavourful the result.

2. Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly. Beat the eggs. Combine the mashed banana, melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract (if using) in a bowl and mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the white spelt flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Note that white spelt flour is lighter and more absorbent than plain flour — it integrates easily but be careful not to overmix once combined, as spelt can become dense if overworked.

4. Roughly chop the walnuts and pecans into chunky pieces — not too fine, as you want some bite. Stir them through the dry ingredients so they're evenly distributed. Coating the nuts in the flour mixture also helps prevent them from sinking during baking.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the breadmaker pan first, then spoon the dry ingredient and nut mixture on top. This layering method helps avoid flour pockets and works well with most breadmaker programmes.

6. Insert the pan into your Tefal or Delices breadmaker and select the 'Cake' programme (sometimes labelled 'Ultra Fast', 'Quick Bread', or 'Bake Only' depending on your model — check your manual). If your machine has a 1kg loaf setting, use that.

7. Start the programme. The machine will mix, then bake — this usually takes around 60–70 minutes total depending on your model. Do not open the lid during baking. White spelt flour behaves similarly to plain flour in a breadmaker but may produce a slightly denser loaf, which is normal.

8. Once the programme completes, use a skewer or cocktail stick inserted into the centre to check doneness — it should come out clean. If it doesn't, run the Bake Only programme for a further 10–15 minutes. The added nuts can slightly increase the overall mass, so don't be surprised if it needs a touch more time.

9. Carefully lift the pan out using oven gloves and turn the loaf out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 20–30 minutes before slicing — the spelt flour in particular benefits from resting time to allow the crumb to fully set, making it much easier to cut cleanly.