QUICK BREADS FOR A HEALTHY START TO YOUR DAY

Quick bread or Sweet bread as they are commonly called in North America, sometimes called Batter Bread are a pastry made with baking powder, baking soda or cream of tartar or all three but no yeast.  They are actually more cake-like than bread and are commonly made into loaves or muffins and usually contain both fruit and nuts or seeds like flax, cardamom or poppy.  All those grains, nuts, seeds, spices and fruit make quick breads good for you.  You can even substitute the sugar for artificial sweetener and still get good results if you choose to.

They are breads like banana, zucchini, carrot-raisin, pumpkin, date nut, ginger bread, blueberry, cherry-nut, cranberry, cran-orange, apple-nut, peach-almond, apricot, lemon-poppy seed, cinnamon-walnut or friendship bread, an Amish sweet bread made with sour dough as the leavening; the list can go on and on with one variation after another and they are oh so good and they are good for you; or you can use the same basic recipe to make Plain Bread and just leave out the fruit and nuts and add a favorite flavoring like vanilla or almond. 

Bread is one of my weaknesses and good sweet bread with some cream cheese or a little butter along with a cup of tea or my morning coffee can sure make me smile and they are great with lunch or dinner too. 

One of my favorites is pumpkin cranberry nut bread with cream cheese; add some celery sticks and there I have it, a delicious breakfast or lunch; and I see absolute no reason to wait for the holidays to enjoy it.  I like quick bread any time of year and they are easy to make with no kneading and waiting for the dough to rise and kneading again and waiting and baking and cooling that takes hours.  Quick bread can be made and ready to serve in under two hours.

These breads make a good and healthy sandwich and it sure does beat white bread with two slices of bologna, and mustard even if I add a slice of cheese.  I admit to eating that too but not often.  Quick breads are versatile.  You can eat them as a snack for your coffee break or after school.  They go great with soups and stews and you can even use them for dessert with a pudding, yogurt or cream garnished with fruit.    

Pumpkin bread or banana bread or most any of the others spread with peanut butter and thin slices of apple, or just plain with a cup of tea and a few baby carrot sticks and celery sticks make a great lunch and you won’t crave dessert.  The bread will satisfy your sweet tooth.  I really like banana bread and the others as well but if I have a choice I’ll go for the pumpkin-cranberry with chopped walnuts in it or maybe zucchini or date-nut but pumpkin-cranberry-nut bread is definitely one of my favorites.  Here is how to make it.

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY NUT BREAD

(This recipe makes one loaf.  Just double the ingredients to use full can of canned

Pie pumpkin for two loafs of bread.  I usually make two loaves.  Freezes well.)

1 cup cooked pumpkin sieved or 1 cup canned pie pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter or margarine melted
2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. wheat germ
2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. all spice
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh cranberries (Fresh is best but frozen will do)

In larger bowl, combine and beat pumpkin, sugar, milk, sour cream, eggs and butter or margarine and vanilla until creamy smooth

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices and salt together add wheat germ and combine with pumpkin mixture.  Mix well.  Fold in cranberries and walnuts and spread in greased loaf pan.  Bake 350 degrees for one hour to one hour ten minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool on rack for ten minutes.  Turn out of pan and allow to finish cooling; wrap in waxed paper and foil or plastic wrap.  This bread will keep for several days (3 to 5) on the shelf (if it should last that long before it is all gone) and even longer if refrigerated.  It is better to refrigerate and then allow it to come to room temperature (20 to 30 min.) before serving.