bread

Chai Spiced Banana Bread

By in Breads, Breakfast, Fall 14 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Remember how I wanted to hold onto summer? Well summer didn”t want to hold on to me. Around the same time I was professing my love of summer and how I was going to hold onto it and my garden forever, it decided to frost and kill half my garden. And, it was just about to start bearing all sorts of deliciousness. Boo. Ever since then there”s been a chill in the air and its never quite warmed up again. Ha ha. Serves me right for thinking I had control of the seasons. :)

I decided I better start embracing fall in all it”s glory because winter lasts about 8 months out of the year here in Alberta and I just needed to buckle down and face the facts. I usually love all the seasons when they come but I haven”t lived in Canada for almost 4 years and I”m not conditioned to these cold, long winters anymore. I”ve become a winter wimp and once fall hits here you know that winter is really only a month away. Despite my anxiety over what”s coming, right now it”s fall, so here I am embracing it with some warm fall spices.

After making this recipe I don”t know that I”ll ever be able to go back to my regular banana bread. I took my go-to recipe, made it a little healthier by adding whole wheat and added some chai spices for a fall spin. The result was one of the most delicious banana breads I have eaten, and I”ve made my share of banana bread. Even my not-so-banana-bread-loving husband was raving about how good it was. I think it has to do in part with the fact that the spices are strong enough to overpower that distinctive banana bread flavour and the whole wheat keeps it from becoming too sticky, as a lot of banana breads seem to be. The crumb is tender and soft, hearty yet light, and the spices are the perfect combination to ring in the new season.

To fall!

Chai Spiced Banana Bread

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 1/3 cups sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cardamom

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1 cup sour cream (full fat)

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla. Sit together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to banana mixture in three additions, alternately with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture, until evenly combined. Pour into 2, greased, 9×5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before removing from loaf pans and transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes: 2 loaves

Soft Honey-Wheat Sandwich Bread

By in Breads, Recipes 17 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Soft Honey-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Moving from Europe, where tasty, fresh artisan bread is readily available, I have to say, I miss it. I love baking bread, but the bread in Norway was so fresh and delicious I never had a reason to make my own. I”ve had such a hard time finding a sandwich bread that even compares to the ones that I took for granted there so, I knew it was time to start making my own once again.

I thought it might take a while to find a great recipe, but this was the first recipe I tried and it is perfect. Light and airy, thanks to the use of bread flour, and slightly healthier, thanks to the use of honey and whole wheat flour. There”s absolutely no sugar in this recipe – awesome! It”s not a european style bread at all but the slightly sweet and wholesome flavour makes it perfect for sandwiches. And, homemade beats store-bought hands down.

A Few Tips:

  1. The first time I made these I didn”t have any loaf pans so I just baked them freeform and they turned out fine. The shape isn”t perfect but the taste is just as good. :)

  2. These are made with a sponge but don”t let that scare you off. This is a simple bread recipe that”s easy to make. It has a couple more steps than usual but they only take a little extra time and that time is worth the results.

The other thing I love about this recipe is that it stays soft for a long time, longer then other recipes I”ve tried. I really can”t say enough good things about this bread. Now that the bread baking fire is renewed in me I know I”ll be trying my hand at many more recipes, but this will definitely be one that I return to when I want a soft and tender loaf.

Soft Honey-Wheat Sandwich Bread

You can make this bread by hand or using a stand mixer. It makes a lot of bread so I store them in the freezer. For tips on working with yeast doughs head here.

Sponge

  • 3 cups warm water

  • 2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast

  • 1/3 cup honey

  • 5 cups bread flour

Bread

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

  • 1/3 cup honey

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 3+ cups whole wheat flour

After it”s baked

  • 1 tablespoons butter, melted

For the sponge: Mix together warm water, yeast, and honey. stir in the white bread flour until evenly combined. Let sit for 30 minutes, until risen and bubbly.

To make bread: Mix the melted butter, remaining honey, and salt into the sponge. Stir in 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Knead in enough flour until the dough is smooth and tacky but not overly sticky. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).

Once risen, punch down the dough and divide it into 3 equal loaves. Place each into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, and allow to rise until the dough has topped the pans by one inch (about an hour).

Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Brush the tops of the loaves with 1 tablespoons melted butter to prevent the crust from getting hard. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely before storing in plastic bags.

Makes: 3 loaves

Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

By in Breakfast, Fall 11 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

Now that my family has gotten into a fairly regular routine, breakfast has become a family affair. It”s one more chance for us to spend time together and connect before the day begins. The tastier and quicker it is to throw together, the more likely we”ll be to make the time to sit and enjoy each others company.

The nights are cold – in our apartment we have no control over the heat and it has yet to come on, so I”m bundling the kids up in layers of clothes before they go to bed. We”re all waking up hungry and in need of extra warmth and comfort. Nothing sticks to your ribs and warms you from the inside out, like a big bowl of oatmeal.

This Banana Walnut Oatmeal is even more comforting because as it simmers it fills the house with the smell of baking banana bread. If that doesn”t get the family flocking to the table I don”t know what will.

Sitting around the table with a warm breakfast, fall spices wafting through the air, surrounded by your family, talking about the day ahead – what could be a better start to the day?

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 banana, mashed

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • pinch nutmeg

  • pinch salt

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Place water, milk, banana, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar (or maple syrup) in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in oats. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes or until desired thickness. Stir in walnuts just before serving.

Makes: 2-3 servings

This post was featured on Women”s Health Magazine online.

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

By in Breads, Chocolate, Christmas, Fall, Sweets, Valentine's 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

This banana bread is much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It”s almost guaranteed to win over even the harshest banana bread critic.

The deep chocolate look of this bread speaks romance to me. Although, the most romantic we got was to sit huddled up to the coffee table sipping milky chai tea and eating this moist, dark, chocolate, banana bread while watching Bones (admittedly not the best show to watch while you”re eating). That”s what romance is when you have a 7 month old and a 3-year-old at home. Any quiet moment to yourselves without being needed by someone else is considered a date! And, a good night sleep makes for marital bliss. :)

This is not the type of banana bread that you eat for breakfast. It”s much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It doesn”t taste anything like a classic banana bread, which makes it a perfect way to use up those old bananas and serve them to people who are otherwise adverse towards baked bananas. I almost guarantee that if you call this Mocha Chocolate Chip Bread (or loaf cake) they will never guess. Not that you want to be sneaky… but sometimes it doesn”t hurt. :)

One note of advice: It”s important to sift cocoa powder, when using it in recipes, because there are always chunks in it that never quite mix into the batter. I don”t own a sifter, but a fine mesh sieve works just as well. Simply place it over your mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to push through. Discard any hard pieces that don”t want to break up.

Do you make banana bread? What”s your favourite way to use up bananas before they go bad?

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

The key to a moist loaf is to not overbake. Ovens vary in temperature so start checking for doneness earlier then the suggested time.

  • 1.5 cups flour

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

  • 1.5 cups sugar

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 medium bananas, mashed (1 cup)

  • 1/2 cup canola oil

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 tablespoon hot milk

  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, bananas, oil,sour cream and vanilla. Dissolve instant coffee in hot milk. Stir into banana mixture.

Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

Breadstick Twigs

By in Breads, Fall, Kids, Sides, Thanksgiving 13 Comments Tags: , ,

Breadstick Twigs

You know those people that you just know well enough that every time you run into them you have to strike up an awkward conversation? So, you try desperately to pretend that you have not noticed them because you are not in the mood for small talk? I think we all know at least one person like that. Well, today I ran into THAT person and realized that the feeling was mutual.

I was on my way to get into line at the bank machine when I noticed THIS person as he turned his face to look in the opposite direction. I quickly pushed passed and looked straight ahead so that it would seem like I had not noticed him. (How horrible is it that I am admitting this?) Then once I had secured my spot in line I saw him look at me out of the corner of my eye. I braised myself for the conversation that was sure to ensue (he is a very talkative and inquisitive man). But, to my surprise he slowly started backing up, practically tiptoeing as to not be noticed, until he was out of my eye-line. What! I am supposed to pretend I didn”t see you buddy, not the other way around! If I had been in a sitcom I would have huffed up asking him why he would feel the need to avoid me, when clearly it should be ME that should want to avoid HIM! But, this is real life, and in truth I was just glad that I didn”t have to talk with him and that we could now mutually avoid each other. Until the fatefull day when we have no choice but to make eye contact and strike up a conversation. (I promise I am not a snob, just a little shy.)

Twig Breadsticks

I very strongly considered calling these babies, Breadtwigs, but I couldn”t quite get over the cheesiness. Whatever you want to call them, they are a lot of fun to make and you can even get the kids involved in the shaping. They look quite elegant in the right setting and add such a nice touch of fall to the table.They are a crisp breadstick so don”t be expecting any pillowy softness. The biscuit-like flavour and firm crunch would be perfectly paired with a large bowl of soup. If you do not have a food processor I am sure they would turn out equally well being mixed by hand. Just cut in the butter as you would when making biscuits or pie crust. These are so easy to make, and so pretty to look at, that they are being put into my repertoire for when company comes over.

Twig Breadsticks

Breadstick Twigs

adapted from Martha Stewart

  • 2 cups flour

  • 2 tsp. sugar

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

  • 2/3 cup whole milk

  1. Place flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mealy. Gradually add milk with machine running until dough is formed.

  2. Divided the dough into 24 pieces (approx. 1 Tbsp. in size). Roll each piece into a log that is 1/2 inch wide. With kitchen scissors or a sharp knife make diagonal slices along both sides of the breadsticks, making sure to switch it up to give it that random twig feel. Gently stretch each twig to help separate the thorns. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

  3. Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for approx. 24 min. until a pale golden brown.

Makes: 24

* These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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