Go Loaf Crazy: 3 Creative Quickbreads
Quickbreads are like magic. You can throw just about anything into a loaf pan with a little sugar, flour and egg, and wind up with a delicious, moist treat for your sweet tooth. Plus, thanks to the name, you can pretend it’s “bread” instead of “cake.”
If you haven’t experimented with quickbreads lately, give these recipes a try. Or just grab any fruit or squash that’s a bit past its prime, and come up with your own ad hoc masterpiece.
Zucchini Sweet Potato Quick Bread
A moist, spiced bread with a rich, unique flavor and pops of cranberry.
Ingredients
2 cups of organic flour
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of raw sugar
3/4 cup of vegetable oil, or 1/4 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of applesauce
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup of grated organic zucchini
1 1/2 cup of peeled, grated sweet potato
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of dried cranberries (optional)
Honey Cranberry Cornmeal Quick Bread
A new take on cornbread, this bread gets added flavor from whole wheat flour and honey. Make sure you look for locally farmed honey; if you can’t find it, substitute with pure maple syrup!
Ingredients
1 cup of organic flour
1 cup of white whole wheat flour
1 cup of medium or fine ground cornmeal
1/2 cup of raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) of organic unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup of honey
1 1/4 cup of buttermilk
2 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts (reserving a few whole walnut halves for decorating the top)
1 heaping cup of fresh cranberries
Fresh Mango Quick Bread
Mango! Believe it. With added ginger, lime, apple and golden raisins, this bread is a fruity, moist and surprising treat for breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients
3 large eggs
3/4 cup of flavorless oil such as canola or safflower (or 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of applesauce)
2 1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour
1 cup of raw sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/4 cup of diced mango (from 1 large mang0)
1 cup of grated apple (from one Granny Smith apple)
3/4 cup of fresh golden raisins
grated zest of 1/2 lime
Method (for all 3 recipes)
Preheat you over to 350° F.
To make a quickbread, start by sifting together all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and mixing the wet ingredients in another. Then combine the two.
Lightly grease enough 8×4 loaf pans to hold your batter. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan(s), making sure you don’t fill them all the way to the top.
Bake your quickbread on a center rack. For smaller loaves, bake for 40 minutes, then test. Larger loaves may take up to 80 minutes (test them after 1 hour).
To test a quickbread, insert a skewer, toothpick or knife in the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.
Thanks to Joy the Baker for the inspiring recipes! Don’t stop here; try our Cider-Spiked Persimmon Bread and Summery Sweet Zucchini Bread.
image: Whitney
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