Apron Strings to Diamond Rings: quick bread

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Spiced Apple Bread

This recipe comes from the Joy of Cooking book. I added some spices to give it more depth and I think it turned out great! You can supplement prune, apricot, cranberry and much more in place of apple.

Preheat oven to 350˙
Sift together in a medium bowl 1 1/2 c flour, 1/2 t salt, 1 t baking soda, 1 T cinnamon, 1 1/2 t nutmeg*. Add 1 1/2 c flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream 1/4 c shortening/butter/margarine with 1/2 c sugar. Beat in 1 egg. Then add 3/4-1 c of apple sauce/chopped apples/grated apples** and sifted ingredients alternately into the large bowl. Add 1 c buttermilk***. Stir just until everything is blended. Do not over stir. Pour into greased loaf pan and put in the oven for 1 1/4 hours.

*I added the spices tot he recipe. If you would rather just have the apple bread, don't add the spices. When I made it, I didn't measure. This is about what I added. Adjust at the end to your taste before baking.
**When working with the apple, do what you would like. However, from past experience, we once had grated apple in a pie and it was like eating hair. I've never had it in bread, but I would make sure that if you do choose to grate the apple, make sure the pieces are small, like grated cheese, and not long. I used my homemade applesauce recipe without the cinnamon.
***If you don't have buttermilk and don't want to buy any, take 1 cup of milk and add 1 T of vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes.

*©ApronStringstoDiamondRings All Rights Reserved

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is my famous Banana Bread recipe with Chocolate Chips added in for a little extra sweet taste. It's considered a quick break because no yeast is involved, so it's fairly easy to fast to make. It's always a crowd pleaser, and during college I was often asked to bring loaves back after we'd been on fall or winter break. Everyone likes it!

Heat oven to 350˙. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of flour (keep an extra 3/4 cup to the side for later), 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 t baking powder, 1/2 t baking soda, 1/4 t salt. Mix together thoroughly. Add 2-3 mashed bananas, 1/3 c shortening/margarine/butter, 2 T milk. Mix thoroughly for about 1-2 minutes (hand or stand mixer) or until completely combined by hand. Add 2 beaten eggs and 3/4 c flour (set aside earlier). Add 1/2-1 c chocolate chips and/or 1/4 c chopped nuts if you so choose. Grease and flour a bread pan and add mixture. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Careful not to over cook or else the bread will be tough. I advise checking on it after 50 minutes and if it needs more time add it in increments of 5 or 10 depending on how much batter was on the toothpick. When the banana bread is done, allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 5-10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow to finish cooling on the rack.

How I Started Cooking

I am no professional chef, nor have I even taken professional cooking or baking classes. I create my dishes from the heart, reading and researching a combination of recipes, putting that knowledge to use and either developing my own recipe or amending one I have read. My love for working in the kitchen began when I was very little, watching my mom bake and cook. In high school I received the opportunity to take two semesters of cooking classes with a wonderful teacher. She is the woman who taught me how to make chicken broth from scratch, properly measure flour and most importantly, read every recipe at least once through before beginning. This is not to say that my mother didn't have a substantial role in my quest to conquer the kitchen. My mother is the one who let me go wild in the kitchen, throwing random ingredients from the pantry into a bowl just to call it 'peanut butter cookies' because they contained peanut butter. That was when I learned that if it contains flour, it most likely has to be baked. Thanks Mom!