Naked Barley & Banana Crumble Squares

Made by baker Henrietta Inman in the Hodmedod Bakehouse, these crumbly naked barley and fruit slices are full of diverse plant fibre for superb flavour, texture and slow-release energy. The bananas and vanilla create a beautifully balanced fruity and caramelly centre between two crumbly barley biscuit layers.

Long before we ate modern wheat, naked barley sustained us. Well suited to our climate, this nutritious cereal was grown by Bronze Age farmers. Unlike most barley, where the inedible husk is tightly stuck to the grain, the husks fall off the naked barley when it's harvested and threshed, leaving the whole grain intact and ready to cook or mill.

Our naked barley and fruit crumble squares change with the seasons and availability of good fruit. For our latest batch we're using very special and extra tasty, directly traded, organic dehydrated Peruvian bananas. The biscuit layers embody the joy of naked barley - an historic grain full of flavour and nutrition.

We soak and blend the bananas into a puree to combine with organic butter, panela sugar, barley malt extract, Ndali vanilla seeds and a hint of sea salt and cider and perry vinegar to give a moreish caramel base. Malty, milky and gorgeously textured naked barley flakes are mixed into the caramel to make the biscuit base and crumbly topping.

Bite into the biscuit layers to find a moreish, treacly and slightly chewy centre. We have a limited supply of dried bananas so try these while you can!