Mom's Poppyseed Bread

From my lovely Mom

This recipe always reminds me of my mom. This bread is sweet and soft and irresistible. The glaze makes a nice citrus touch which helps the flavor pop.

Makes 2 loaves

1 1/8 cups oil

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

Glaze:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp butter flavoring

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). Combine oil, sugar, poppy seeds and flavoring. Beat in the eggs. Then sift together flour and baking powder and add alternately with milk. Once smooth, pour into prepared bread pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the center comes out clean when pierced with a toothpick.

While baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. (You may not need all of it!) Once the bread is done, stab the top of the warm loaves while still in their pans and pour the glaze on top. Allow to cool completely and serve.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread

adapted from Have Cake Will Travel

This was a fun recipe that encapsulates the qualities of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one glorious bread. It was a bit crumbly but would be perfect for breakfast or a quick snack.

Makes one loaf

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp all fruit berry or orange jam

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups oats, finely ground

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup berries

Preheat oven to 350 (176 C) and prepare a 8x4 inche loaf pan with spray.

In a medium bowl, combine milk, vinegar, peanut butter, jam, salt and vanilla. The peanut butter may not mix smoothly but that is ok.

In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones, being careful not to over-mix. The batter may be thick, depending on the type of peanut butter you use.

Pour into prepared pan, cover with tin foil and bake for 70 minutes (or when a toothpick comes out clean). Pull the foil off after about 40 minutes to ensure that it turns a golden brown.

Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

Carrot and Molasses Muffins

from Mom

This is a very wholesome muffin. I grew up eating them, so I am used to the flavor, but Ben said they have a decidedly "healthy" taste... I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but if you put a little butter and honey on them I think they are fabulous.

1 slightly beaten egg

1 cup bran cereal

2 medium carrots, grated

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/2 up molasses

1/4 cup oil

1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup rasins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 (204 C). Combine the egg, bran, carrots, yogurt, tomato juice, molasses and oil and let sit for 10 minutes until the bran cereal is soft. Mix well. Then add the flour and baking soda and spoon into a prepared muffin tin. Bake at 400 for 18 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

adapted from Visions of Sugar Plums

Peanut butter and bananas- is there anything they cant do?

This bread was a creative twist on your typical banana bread and I had to work quickly to take a photo before it all disappeared.

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2-3 large bananas, mashed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 (176 C). Cream together butter and sugars; add peanut butter, bananas and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Beat in eggs until just combined. Sift together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet mixture, alternating with milk. Fold in chocolate chips and spoon into a prepared 9x5 inch bread pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Fuzzy Navel Tea Bread

adapted from the Streaming Gourmet

This bread was inspired by the fuzzy navel smoothie - a delicate combination of bananas, peaches and oranges. It turns out sweet and fruity, it is perfect for breakfast or tea.

Makes 2 loaves

3/4 cup yogurt

8 Tbsp butter (about 100 grams)

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

4 ripe bananas, mashed

4 ripe peaches, mashed

1 orange, juice plus zest

5 cups flour

2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, and mix in yogurt, mashed fruit and orange zest. Whisk together dry ingredients, and add them to the wet mixture until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes. (30-40 minutes for muffins) Test with a toothpick, it should come out clean when inserted.

Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins

adapted from Playing House

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cup yogurt

2 eggs

3 cups + 1 Tbsp flour (I used 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup cranberries (I used lingon berries)

Preheat oven to 375 (190 C) and prepare a muffing tin. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar, then add applesauce, yogurt and eggs. In another bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and then add them to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. In a little bowl, place the berries and 1 Tbsp of flour, coat the berries with the flour so they don't sink to the bottom of your muffins. Then gently fold in chocolate chips and berries.

Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 of the way full and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you poke it in the center.

Let cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then remove and allow to cool on the counter.

Mom's Sweet Corn Bread

from my Mom

This is seriously the best corn bread you will ever have. It is sweeter than typical corn breads, and it is delicious served warm with butter and honey.

Thanks Mom, for passing on this one on. It is one of my favorites.

3/4 cup butter (168 grams)

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup corn meal

1 Tbsp baking powder

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 (176 C) and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add corn meal and baking powder and mix well. Separate the yolk from the eggs and add the yolks to the corn mixture. (Set aside the egg whites). Add in the flour, vanilla, milk and salt, mix until batter is smooth.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter gently until just combined. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean when you stick it in the middle.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

adapted from Allrecipes

There is no better way to eat a zucchini than chocolate zucchini bread. My mom would give this to us when we were kids and it was so good we didn't even know it had veggies smuggled inside. I like this particular recipe because the applesauce cuts down on the oil and it is easy to substitute whole wheat flour without affecting the taste. It comes out soft and moist, with subtle hints of chocolate sprinkled throughout.

I made two loaves and froze one of them. It was so good that it only lasted in the freezer one night before Ben and I decided we may as well eat that one too.

Makes 2 loaves

6 Tbsp Cocoa

2 Tbsp butter, softened

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup applesauce

2 cups grated zucchini

2 cups flour (I used 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 C). Lightly grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, cocoa, and sugar. Then add zucchini, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and add it to the wet mixture. Coat chocolate chips in 2 Tbsp flour (so they don't all sink to the bottom) and then gently fold 3/4 cup into the mix. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pans and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chips on top. Bake in oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Banana Banana Bread

adapted from Allrecipes

This is my go-to basic banana bread recipe. I really like this one because it uses a ton of bananas so it really holds on to the banana flavor. It soft and delicious, and even better the next day, so I would double the recipe and save one loaf for tomorrow.

makes 1 loaf

2 cups flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 4 large bananas. If you don't have enough bananas, feel free to replace with other berries, applesauce or other mashed fruit)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 (175 C) and lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla and spices. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

*You can also make these into muffins, bake at 350 (175 C) for 25 minutes

Light Banana Nut Muffins

I haven't been in the mood to eat bananas lately and as a result I keep getting lovely black ones by the end of the week. I've been looking for some ways to use them, but it seems that so many banana bread recipes use a ton of sugar and white flour, which diminishes the healthy quality that I'm looking for. Anyway, these were easy and tasted quite good, especially with the nuts on top.

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

3-4 ripe bananas

1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened if possible)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 cup white flour

1 Tbsp flaxseed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with paper cups. In a medium bowl, mash together applesauce, vanilla and bananas, then fold in egg whites. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, oats, salt, sugar, flaxseed, baking soda, spices, and about 1/4 cup of nuts. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin and sprinkle remaining nuts on top of muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Whole Grain Chocolate Banana Bread

from Whole Grain Gourmet

This bread was great, 100% whole grain and studded with sweet, chocolaty goodness. Mine came out a bit crumbly, and next time I may add a tablespoon of lemon juice or oil to help it hold together better. Still, the taste was great and I will definitely be making this again.


1/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (about 3-4)
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (King Arthurs has extra gluten to help hold it together!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips (dark is best!)

Preheat the oven to 325, and lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.
In a larger bowl, combine butter, honey and sugar and beat for two minutes. Add the eggs and lightly beat until just combined. Mix in the bananas and vanilla, being careful not to overmix. Slowly add the flour mixture.
Put the hot water in a separate bowl, and add the baking soda. Then beat it into the batter. Gently fold in the nuts and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 325 for 52 minutes. A knife should come out clean when stabbed through the bread, if it is not, put it in for another couple of minutes.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Feta Stuffed Bread

adapted from Arabic Bites

I love to try different breads when I make soup, and this recipe just was too tempting to resist! Although the photo doesn't reveal much, inside the bread is gooey with melted cheese and packed with flavor.

Dough:

3 cups flour

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

oil, for shallow frying

Filling:

8 oz Feta, crumbled

8 oz Cheddar (I used Edam), grated

3 scallions, diced

fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

*I also added a handful of diced sun-dried tomato... mmmm...

Place all dough ingredients in a bowl and knead until dough is soft (about 5 minutes for a mixer, 10 by hand). Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1-2 hours).

While the bread is rising, combine all filling ingredients and set aside.

Preheat a pan to medium heat and 1 Tbsp oil. Once risen, take the dough out and divide it into 8 balls. One at a time, flatten each ball into a round. Then plop 1-2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle and gather up the edges of the dough and pinch them together, creating a dough ball filled with cheesy goodness. Gently flatten the dough ball with your hands or a roller until it makes a thinner pancake. It will be a bit lumpy because of the filling, but take care not to puncture the dough.

Then place the stuffed bread on the frying pan and cook until golden brown on both sides (1-2 minutes each side).

Serve warm!

Flat Bread

from Arabic Bites

This is a perfect complement to any meal. The bread is chewy and soft and would go well with anything. Ok, to be honest they are supposed to look much prettier and symmetrical than mine turned out. But if you could get past the freaky bumps, the bread was quite good.

2 cup warm Water

2 Tbsp Yeast

4 Tbsp Sugar

5 cups Flour (any kind)

1/4 cup Oil

2 tsp Salt

Preheat the oven to 550 (287 C). Mix the yeast, sugar and water. Once combined, slowly add in 2 cups of flour. Cover the bowl and let it rise for 10 minutes.

Then add in the remaining 3 cups of flour, oil and salt and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, roll into little balls and flatten them into round discs. Place the dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes.

I kept getting distracted and so every other flat bread was a little over done. But they were still good, and this was a very simple recipe!

Makes 8 pieces of flat bread

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Bread

adapted from Sister's Cafe, who got it from The Smitten Kitchen, who got it from Barefoot Contessa... the recipe world is a smaller place every day!

1 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 cup Plain Yogurt

1 cup Sugar

3 large Eggs

2 tsp Lemon Zest (about one lemon)

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 cups Blueberries (frozen or fresh, thawed and rinsed)

Glaze:

1/3 cup Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a bread pan.  Mix yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest, and fold in the oil.  In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Combine the two mixtures, and lastly gently add the blueberries.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  While the batter is baking, prepare the glaze in a small pan.  Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves.  

Once the cake is done, cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  Using a toothpick, poke some small holes to absorb the glaze better.  Drizzle the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.     

This bread turns out very moist and tangy and the flavors go together very nicely.  

Dilly Bread

From Ashlee Stettler

This bread is moist and has tons of flavor.  It is SO good.  

2 1/2 tsp Yeast

1/4 Cup Warm Water

1 Cup Cottage Cheese

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp minced onion

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Dill seed -or- 2 tsp Dill

2 1/4 Cup Flour

Combine water and yeast.  In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients except flour.  Add yeast and water to ingredients and slowly add flour until mixed.  Knead on a floured surface, and set aside in a warm spot to let rise until double in size (give it about an hour).

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes

Sorry this picture isn't great, we ate the whole loaf before I could get a good picture!