When I was a kid, every once in a while my mom would buy those Entenmann%u2019s marbled loaf cakes, (she still might) and I loved them. Chocolate and vanilla swirled into every slice. Super moist and rich with the soft, fluffy top. I would cut a big slice, toast it, then smother it in peanut butter.
Now when I see these cakes, well honesty, I think they kind of look sad. A cake such as a marbled cake, should not be squashed into a box, stacked away on some display case. No cake should have to deal with that. Cakes should be made then oohed and awed at from the comforts of home, only boxed if 100% necessary like in the case of bringing to a friend or giving as a present. Basically, what I am saying is don%u2019t buy pre-made cakes friends, make the cake at home yourself. The cake will like you better for it.
Anyway, I just was thinking about those cakes and my childhood in general and it made me want to make a quick cake all marbled because of the nostalgia and also, I mean, marbled cakes are pretty pretty and why the heck not. And because it is pumpkin season I had to go with pumpkin and chocolate instead of vanilla and chocolate because we all know it was the right thing to do.
Pumpkin spices, rich chocolate. Two flavors in one bite. Who could complain? I don%u2019t think my 10 year old self would have. I think she would have eaten the whole damn loaf (toasted with peanut butter of course).
Nw to the chocolate and pumpkin loaf cake..
The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, oil, almond milk, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spices, coffee, and apple cider vinegar.
Quick and easy. Oil and sugars get a good mix in a big bowl then in goes the pumpkin puree. Mix that in with the milk and apple cider vinegar. Ina separate bowl, mix the flour baking soda and powder and salt. Mix the dry into the wet.
Split the mix in half (eye ball it) and add the spice mix to one bowl and the cocoa and coffee to the other. Mix them until the new ingredients are incorporated. You will then have a chocolate batter and pumpkin spice batter.
Grease a loaf pan then layer dollops of each of the batters into the pan until both batters are gone.
Before the oven and after of the oven.
Place cooked loaf on a wire rack to cool. Really. It needs it. Just wait a least 15 minutes, you can do it.
And then you cut into the load, marvel at the marble, and then eat it.
Two flavors, one mouth.
-C
makes 1 loaf
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup neutral flavored oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plant milk
2 tablespoon coffee (or water if you don%u2019t have coffee)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or 2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with the oil until combined and there are no chunks of sugar. Add in the pumpkin puree and the milk and vinegar and mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet and gently mix until just combined. Scoop half of the batter (eye ball it) into other bowl. Add the pumpkin pie spices to one bowl and fold it into batter until incorporated. Add the cocoa and coffee to the other batter and fold it in until incorporated.
Interchange scooping the batters into greased loaf pan. One, then the other, to create the marbled effect, until both batters are gone. Place pan into oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Remove pan from oven and pop bread out and place on a wire rack to cool.
Cut a slices, eat, be happy.
Store bread in airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature or just slice it up and freeze pieces.
The day started off with rhubarb soup and ended in cinnamon walnut rhubarb bread. The bread was a star,%u00a0the soup, not so much, which sucked because I was so excited and so sure it was going be fantastic. Tomatoes, rhubarb, and fresh ginger.%u00a0Doesn’t that sound good? I still have hopes for the combination, but the batch I made was way way to acidic and thick and spicy because I added so much fresh ginger to it that it made the mr’s eye water and my nose run a little. So yeah, the soup needed work, but I was not going to end my day of rhubarb cooking with a fail. Also I felt like I owed it to the mr to make him something that he found edible. He really did not like the soup.
I knew the mr wanted (or at least he hinted at) pie but I had no time for pie. I already spent the morning making not so good soup and I had shit I needed to do. Pie would just take a little to long.%u00a0Quick bread was more in my time frame. A few minutes to chop and mix,%u00a0toss it into the oven for a while. and done.%u00a0%u00a0I had time to cleaned up, run to the post office and bank (I should probably tell you not to leave your oven on when you are not in the house, but I do, but only for short periods of time. And don’t tell the mr. He will kill me) and come back to the house not on fire and fresh cinnamon walnut rhubarb bread. I felt redemption,%u00a0even this it was not pie. The mr didn’t complain, not one bit.%u00a0
And by the way, the soup made it’s way into a different batch of soup that had other stuff in it and it WAS fantastic.%u00a0
The stuff. Rhubarb and walnuts and a bowl with flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Also have coconut oil, brown sugar, soy milk, and a little dish or more brown sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil for the topping.%u00a0
Chop rhubarb and walnuts into small pieces, not tiny pieces, but not big ones either.%u00a0
Mix the brown sugar and coconut oil into dry mixture, then add in the milk and vinegar and mix until just incorporated (don’t over mix).
Don’t forget to mix in the rhubarb and walnut pieces.%u00a0
Pour batter into a greased pan and then its %u00a0time for the cinnamon sugar topping. (cinnamon+sugar+coconut oil=rainbows?)
Cinnamon sugar topping %u00a0gets crumbled on and I found a few stray walnuts so I tossed those on top too. %u00a0
Now it’s time for the oven.
Look at that, fresh from the oven. So handsome.%u00a0%u00a0Pop it out of the tin and get it onto a wire rack to cool.%u00a0
And when it’s cooled a little and you are ready to take a seat, you slice and eat.
-C
makes one loaf
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cups brown sugar%u00a0
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup soy or another plant milk
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 stalks rhubarb (2 cups chopped)
1/2 cup walnuts
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 hefty tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
Preheat oven to 350
Chop rhubarb into small 1/2 inch pieces. If your walnuts are whole, chop those up into small pieces as well.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix together then add in the brown sugar and %u00a0the melted coconut oil and mix. Then add in the say milk %u00a0and apple cider vinegar and mix until all is incorporated. %u00a0Stir in the chopped rhubarbd and walnuts.
Pour batter into a well greases bread pan. For the cinnamon topping, just add the cinnamon and brown sugar to the melted coconut oil and mix. %u00a0Crumble the mixture on top of the bread. if you have a few more walnuts, you can toss those on top too.%u00a0Pop bread into preheated oven.
Bake for 60 -70 minutes %u00a0or until a tester stuck into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. When ready, cut and eat.
Bread lasts 3 day in airtight container on counter, a few days longer in the fridge. %u00a0Freezes well.%u00a0
Would you believe me that I totally forgot that it is St Patricks day and that this bread was in no way inspired by that? Well it’s true. What inspired this soda bread was the Great British Bake Off which I am currently watching over again. (yes, over again but it is just such a good show and makes me feel like I can bake anything.)
%u00a0I make fresh bread just about every day, but I %u00a0mostly use my sourdough culture or if I am running low on time, yeast, but I never think about making a loaf of a savory quick bread. When I think quick bread or soda bread, my mind goes to bananas or berries, or anything sweet. After seeing all the contestants making all sorts of crazy stuffed and flavored savory breads I was all like, “why don’t I ever do that?” So I did, all high on inspiration (every time I watch the show I feel the need to bake). I basically opened the spice drawer and grabbed a jar which was fennel, then figured lemon is a fine right pair so lemon fennel it was to be and yeah. I wanted to go a little more crazy (like they did on the show)%u00a0and add a ribbon or pesto or chunks of some veggies or beans or whatever but this was good for the moment and good it was indeed.
And the smell of this bread…. The hole house filled up with the scent that I could only describe as amazingly lovely. It made me think of %u00a0gardens full of spring flower blooms, a clothes line full of sun bleach white linen, or the feeling of soft warn dirt %u00a0under your feet for the first time after a long winter.%u00a0I swear I am not high. It just smelled so very good.%u00a0
After it was baked and cooled, but still slightly warm I cut into it and gave the mr a piece. The first piece the mr liked, the second he ate with mozzarella cheese which did not go well with him,%u00a0but after that found that he really likes it with peanut butter, or plan, with a bit of butter. What that means is that you should just make it and eat it however you suits you because a quick savory bread is always a good choice when a choice is needed. And your house will smell amazing too.%u00a0
The stuff. White and wheat flours, baking soda and baking powder, salt, fennel, soy milk, lemons, honey, and oil.%u00a0
All the dry, the fennel and the lemon zest into big bowl.%u00a0
Lemon juice, oil, and Haney got mixed together with the milk. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes so the lemon sours the milk a bit.%u00a0
Wet into dry and mix around with a fork until combined. Dump onto a floured surface and form a ball.%u00a0
Take the dough and place it on a lightly floured baking sheet then take a knife or dough scraper and give the dough a big deep X. Get about half an to an inch deep.%u00a0
And Ito the oven it goes.%u00a0
Just a mere 4o minutes later you have a crisp and golden loaf that smells like springtime and loveliness.
Give it a little time to cool down but grab a slice when it’s still a bit warm and eat it up. If you have butter to jam or honey on hand, it’s not necessary but welcomed.%u00a0
-C
Makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup soy milk
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest%u00a0
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl mix together the flours, baking soda and powder, salt, fennel, and the lemon zest. In a separate bowl or jar, mix together the milk, lemon juice, honey or maple, and oil. Let sit for 3-5 minutes so the milk gets a chance to lightly sour.%u00a0
Dump wet mixture into dry and mix around until %u00a0incorporated. Dump dough onto a floured surface and form a ball then place dough onto a lightly flour baking sheet and either with a knife or dough scrapper, score the top with a x about an inch deep. Place into oven and bake for %u00a040-45 minutes or until a nice deep golden brown and a tater stuck into the loaf comes out clean.%u00a0
Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
Cut into it while it’s a tad but warm and serve naked or with butter and honey or whatever you want.%u00a0
Bread keeps for 2-3 days or is good to be frozen sliced up.%u00a0
I forgot how amazing fall baking smells. The spiciness floating throughout the house, lingering on my clothes, in my hair, up the stairs and into the bedroom. It goes everywhere. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long this time around because the mr made popcorn and then the whole house ended up smelling like a freaking movie theater, but for a little while it was so nice. I want to bake everyday just to stink the house up all nice. I might just do that.%u00a0
Everyone eats the pumpkin bread or the pumpkin this or pumpkin that. But why does’t everyone harness the greatness of all the other winter squashes in baking? This I do not know. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin but I also think that it’s very interchangeable in most baking applications. Like this quick %u00a0bread. I am sure that some people would notice that it is not pumpkin, but these same people would also enjoy the subtle difference in flavor. Acorn squash is a sweet and delicious squash and makes a fine fine bread my friends. And the acorn squash is cheaper then sugar pumpkins which is aways a plus. And the winter squash keeps longer the pumpkins so the are available longer. Acorn squash bread all winter long. (Yup, I am thinking winter already)
This bread lasted less then a day. The mr got a couple slices but some littles came over and ate almost the entire loaf. The didn’t ask what kind of squash I used, they just ate it vigorously and left heir little crumbs all over. So Bean with her mouth full of bread declared it A-MAZING. From the mouth of a 5 year old.
The stuff. The flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon are in one bowl. The squash puree, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar in another .Also need a little plant milk a bit more cinnamon and sugar for topping.
Simple simple. Whisk together the dry then whisk together the wet.
Pour wet into dry and mix until incorporated.
And there you have it. %u00a0Acorn squash bread batter.%u00a0
Batter goes into a well greased bread pan and sprinkles all over with cinnamon sugar. Then into the oven (preheated of course) it goes.
All baked up and cooling. Like what I did there? %u00a0More circulation to the bottom %u00a0so it cools faster.. I am so smart.
The mr came home right when I was contemplating whether it was cool enough to cut. %u00a0It wasn’t but I cut it anyway.%u00a0
Have a great fall weekend!
-C %u00a0
makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups acorn squash puree*
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 cup brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup oil%u00a0
1/3 cup plant based milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0
*To make acorn squash puree, stick an acorn squash into a oven at 400 for about 40 minutes or until until fork tender. Remove from oven,%u00a0cut in half, and let cool until you can handle it. Scoop out seeds (save for roasting) then scoop out flesh (eat skin as snack)%u00a0and puree in blender. Add a splash of water if needed to get a smooth puree.
preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl mix together the squash, oil, sugar, maple, milk, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well combined. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the baking soda and powder, the tablespoon cinnamon, salt, and flour. Pour wet into the dry and mix until combined. %u00a0Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Combine the tablespoon brown sugar and teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Pop into oven and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a tester poked into middle comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove form loaf pan and let completely cool.%u00a0
Eat what you want and store the rest in an air tight container for a few days. Can be sliced and frozen too.
%u00a0%u00a0There is irish soda bread in your future. I can see it. A nice hardy hunk slathered in butter and honey, crumbs all over the place.%u00a0 So all you have to do know is make it.%u00a0
I remember reading somewhere (I wish I could remember where) that irish soda bread is just four ingredients, flour, sea salt, baking soda and buttermilk and adding %u00a0anything else would make %u00a0it a cake. So when I decided to make irish soda bread, thats all I used. ( I made it with some wheat flour) What you end up with is a highly dense, super fragrant, soft, chewy bread with a crunchy crust. Definitely not a cake.
Note%u2026.You can for sure add in a bit of sweetener or even little fat to make it richer and softer, but then it wouldn’t be bread (or so that’s what I read) There are tons of other recipes out there that have other stuff in them. This is just a really simple basic recipe.%u00a0
White whole wheat flour and all purpose flour mixed together. Salt baking soda and buttermilk. That’s it.All the dry whisked together and in goes the buttermilk. Mix together until dough starts to form then dump onto a floured surface. %u00a0Handling dough as little as possible, knead into ball.
Place on a baking sheet and dust with flour. Take a sharp knife and cut %u00a0an X through the top about 1/2 inch deep.
Stick in into the oven for 50 ish minutes, or unit la tester stuck into the middle comes out clean and there is kind of a hollow thunk when tapped on.%u00a0
And now you have a very pretty, dense hunk of irish soda bread.%u00a0
Cut and serve with butter and honey (thats how the mister likes it) or whatever you want to eat it with.
-C
Irish Soda Bread
1 cup all purpose flour%u00a0
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or you can use all purpose)%u00a0
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or your choice if milk plus a tablespoon lemon juice)%u00a0
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and salt. Mix in buttermilk until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems to dry, add another splash or two of milk. Dump out dough onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. transfer onto a baking sheet, dust with flour and cut a x about 1/2 inch into the top. Stick into oven for 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread makes a hollow sound when tapped.
Let cool enough to handle.
Cut into and serve with a smear of whatever you want
THE LOVELY CRAZY
December 30, 2019 by maximios • Blog
When I was a kid, every once in a while my mom would buy those Entenmann%u2019s marbled loaf cakes, (she still might) and I loved them. Chocolate and vanilla swirled into every slice. Super moist and rich with the soft, fluffy top. I would cut a big slice, toast it, then smother it in peanut butter.
Now when I see these cakes, well honesty, I think they kind of look sad. A cake such as a marbled cake, should not be squashed into a box, stacked away on some display case. No cake should have to deal with that. Cakes should be made then oohed and awed at from the comforts of home, only boxed if 100% necessary like in the case of bringing to a friend or giving as a present. Basically, what I am saying is don%u2019t buy pre-made cakes friends, make the cake at home yourself. The cake will like you better for it.
Anyway, I just was thinking about those cakes and my childhood in general and it made me want to make a quick cake all marbled because of the nostalgia and also, I mean, marbled cakes are pretty pretty and why the heck not. And because it is pumpkin season I had to go with pumpkin and chocolate instead of vanilla and chocolate because we all know it was the right thing to do.
Pumpkin spices, rich chocolate. Two flavors in one bite. Who could complain? I don%u2019t think my 10 year old self would have. I think she would have eaten the whole damn loaf (toasted with peanut butter of course).
Nw to the chocolate and pumpkin loaf cake..
The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, oil, almond milk, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spices, coffee, and apple cider vinegar.
Quick and easy. Oil and sugars get a good mix in a big bowl then in goes the pumpkin puree. Mix that in with the milk and apple cider vinegar. Ina separate bowl, mix the flour baking soda and powder and salt. Mix the dry into the wet.
Split the mix in half (eye ball it) and add the spice mix to one bowl and the cocoa and coffee to the other. Mix them until the new ingredients are incorporated. You will then have a chocolate batter and pumpkin spice batter.
Grease a loaf pan then layer dollops of each of the batters into the pan until both batters are gone.
Before the oven and after of the oven.
Place cooked loaf on a wire rack to cool. Really. It needs it. Just wait a least 15 minutes, you can do it.
And then you cut into the load, marvel at the marble, and then eat it.
Two flavors, one mouth.
-C
makes 1 loaf
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup neutral flavored oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plant milk
2 tablespoon coffee (or water if you don%u2019t have coffee)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or 2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with the oil until combined and there are no chunks of sugar. Add in the pumpkin puree and the milk and vinegar and mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet and gently mix until just combined. Scoop half of the batter (eye ball it) into other bowl. Add the pumpkin pie spices to one bowl and fold it into batter until incorporated. Add the cocoa and coffee to the other batter and fold it in until incorporated.
Interchange scooping the batters into greased loaf pan. One, then the other, to create the marbled effect, until both batters are gone. Place pan into oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Remove pan from oven and pop bread out and place on a wire rack to cool.
Cut a slices, eat, be happy.
Store bread in airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature or just slice it up and freeze pieces.
The day started off with rhubarb soup and ended in cinnamon walnut rhubarb bread. The bread was a star,%u00a0the soup, not so much, which sucked because I was so excited and so sure it was going be fantastic. Tomatoes, rhubarb, and fresh ginger.%u00a0Doesn’t that sound good? I still have hopes for the combination, but the batch I made was way way to acidic and thick and spicy because I added so much fresh ginger to it that it made the mr’s eye water and my nose run a little. So yeah, the soup needed work, but I was not going to end my day of rhubarb cooking with a fail. Also I felt like I owed it to the mr to make him something that he found edible. He really did not like the soup.
I knew the mr wanted (or at least he hinted at) pie but I had no time for pie. I already spent the morning making not so good soup and I had shit I needed to do. Pie would just take a little to long.%u00a0Quick bread was more in my time frame. A few minutes to chop and mix,%u00a0toss it into the oven for a while. and done.%u00a0%u00a0I had time to cleaned up, run to the post office and bank (I should probably tell you not to leave your oven on when you are not in the house, but I do, but only for short periods of time. And don’t tell the mr. He will kill me) and come back to the house not on fire and fresh cinnamon walnut rhubarb bread. I felt redemption,%u00a0even this it was not pie. The mr didn’t complain, not one bit.%u00a0
And by the way, the soup made it’s way into a different batch of soup that had other stuff in it and it WAS fantastic.%u00a0
The stuff. Rhubarb and walnuts and a bowl with flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Also have coconut oil, brown sugar, soy milk, and a little dish or more brown sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil for the topping.%u00a0
Chop rhubarb and walnuts into small pieces, not tiny pieces, but not big ones either.%u00a0
Mix the brown sugar and coconut oil into dry mixture, then add in the milk and vinegar and mix until just incorporated (don’t over mix).
Don’t forget to mix in the rhubarb and walnut pieces.%u00a0
Pour batter into a greased pan and then its %u00a0time for the cinnamon sugar topping. (cinnamon+sugar+coconut oil=rainbows?)
Cinnamon sugar topping %u00a0gets crumbled on and I found a few stray walnuts so I tossed those on top too. %u00a0
Now it’s time for the oven.
Look at that, fresh from the oven. So handsome.%u00a0%u00a0Pop it out of the tin and get it onto a wire rack to cool.%u00a0
And when it’s cooled a little and you are ready to take a seat, you slice and eat.
-C
makes one loaf
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
Preheat oven to 350
Chop rhubarb into small 1/2 inch pieces. If your walnuts are whole, chop those up into small pieces as well.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix together then add in the brown sugar and %u00a0the melted coconut oil and mix. Then add in the say milk %u00a0and apple cider vinegar and mix until all is incorporated. %u00a0Stir in the chopped rhubarbd and walnuts.
Pour batter into a well greases bread pan. For the cinnamon topping, just add the cinnamon and brown sugar to the melted coconut oil and mix. %u00a0Crumble the mixture on top of the bread. if you have a few more walnuts, you can toss those on top too.%u00a0Pop bread into preheated oven.
Bake for 60 -70 minutes %u00a0or until a tester stuck into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. When ready, cut and eat.
Bread lasts 3 day in airtight container on counter, a few days longer in the fridge. %u00a0Freezes well.%u00a0
Would you believe me that I totally forgot that it is St Patricks day and that this bread was in no way inspired by that? Well it’s true. What inspired this soda bread was the Great British Bake Off which I am currently watching over again. (yes, over again but it is just such a good show and makes me feel like I can bake anything.)
%u00a0I make fresh bread just about every day, but I %u00a0mostly use my sourdough culture or if I am running low on time, yeast, but I never think about making a loaf of a savory quick bread. When I think quick bread or soda bread, my mind goes to bananas or berries, or anything sweet. After seeing all the contestants making all sorts of crazy stuffed and flavored savory breads I was all like, “why don’t I ever do that?” So I did, all high on inspiration (every time I watch the show I feel the need to bake). I basically opened the spice drawer and grabbed a jar which was fennel, then figured lemon is a fine right pair so lemon fennel it was to be and yeah. I wanted to go a little more crazy (like they did on the show)%u00a0and add a ribbon or pesto or chunks of some veggies or beans or whatever but this was good for the moment and good it was indeed.
And the smell of this bread…. The hole house filled up with the scent that I could only describe as amazingly lovely. It made me think of %u00a0gardens full of spring flower blooms, a clothes line full of sun bleach white linen, or the feeling of soft warn dirt %u00a0under your feet for the first time after a long winter.%u00a0I swear I am not high. It just smelled so very good.%u00a0
After it was baked and cooled, but still slightly warm I cut into it and gave the mr a piece. The first piece the mr liked, the second he ate with mozzarella cheese which did not go well with him,%u00a0but after that found that he really likes it with peanut butter, or plan, with a bit of butter. What that means is that you should just make it and eat it however you suits you because a quick savory bread is always a good choice when a choice is needed. And your house will smell amazing too.%u00a0
The stuff. White and wheat flours, baking soda and baking powder, salt, fennel, soy milk, lemons, honey, and oil.%u00a0
All the dry, the fennel and the lemon zest into big bowl.%u00a0
Lemon juice, oil, and Haney got mixed together with the milk. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes so the lemon sours the milk a bit.%u00a0
Wet into dry and mix around with a fork until combined. Dump onto a floured surface and form a ball.%u00a0
Take the dough and place it on a lightly floured baking sheet then take a knife or dough scraper and give the dough a big deep X. Get about half an to an inch deep.%u00a0
And Ito the oven it goes.%u00a0
Just a mere 4o minutes later you have a crisp and golden loaf that smells like springtime and loveliness.
Give it a little time to cool down but grab a slice when it’s still a bit warm and eat it up. If you have butter to jam or honey on hand, it’s not necessary but welcomed.%u00a0
-C
Makes 1 loaf
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl mix together the flours, baking soda and powder, salt, fennel, and the lemon zest. In a separate bowl or jar, mix together the milk, lemon juice, honey or maple, and oil. Let sit for 3-5 minutes so the milk gets a chance to lightly sour.%u00a0
Dump wet mixture into dry and mix around until %u00a0incorporated. Dump dough onto a floured surface and form a ball then place dough onto a lightly flour baking sheet and either with a knife or dough scrapper, score the top with a x about an inch deep. Place into oven and bake for %u00a040-45 minutes or until a nice deep golden brown and a tater stuck into the loaf comes out clean.%u00a0
Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
Cut into it while it’s a tad but warm and serve naked or with butter and honey or whatever you want.%u00a0
Bread keeps for 2-3 days or is good to be frozen sliced up.%u00a0
I forgot how amazing fall baking smells. The spiciness floating throughout the house, lingering on my clothes, in my hair, up the stairs and into the bedroom. It goes everywhere. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long this time around because the mr made popcorn and then the whole house ended up smelling like a freaking movie theater, but for a little while it was so nice. I want to bake everyday just to stink the house up all nice. I might just do that.%u00a0
Everyone eats the pumpkin bread or the pumpkin this or pumpkin that. But why does’t everyone harness the greatness of all the other winter squashes in baking? This I do not know. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin but I also think that it’s very interchangeable in most baking applications. Like this quick %u00a0bread. I am sure that some people would notice that it is not pumpkin, but these same people would also enjoy the subtle difference in flavor. Acorn squash is a sweet and delicious squash and makes a fine fine bread my friends. And the acorn squash is cheaper then sugar pumpkins which is aways a plus. And the winter squash keeps longer the pumpkins so the are available longer. Acorn squash bread all winter long. (Yup, I am thinking winter already)
This bread lasted less then a day. The mr got a couple slices but some littles came over and ate almost the entire loaf. The didn’t ask what kind of squash I used, they just ate it vigorously and left heir little crumbs all over. So Bean with her mouth full of bread declared it A-MAZING. From the mouth of a 5 year old.
The stuff. The flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon are in one bowl. The squash puree, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar in another .Also need a little plant milk a bit more cinnamon and sugar for topping.
Simple simple. Whisk together the dry then whisk together the wet.
Pour wet into dry and mix until incorporated.
And there you have it. %u00a0Acorn squash bread batter.%u00a0
Batter goes into a well greased bread pan and sprinkles all over with cinnamon sugar. Then into the oven (preheated of course) it goes.
All baked up and cooling. Like what I did there? %u00a0More circulation to the bottom %u00a0so it cools faster.. I am so smart.
The mr came home right when I was contemplating whether it was cool enough to cut. %u00a0It wasn’t but I cut it anyway.%u00a0
Have a great fall weekend!
-C %u00a0
makes 1 loaf
*To make acorn squash puree, stick an acorn squash into a oven at 400 for about 40 minutes or until until fork tender. Remove from oven,%u00a0cut in half, and let cool until you can handle it. Scoop out seeds (save for roasting) then scoop out flesh (eat skin as snack)%u00a0and puree in blender. Add a splash of water if needed to get a smooth puree.
preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl mix together the squash, oil, sugar, maple, milk, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well combined. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the baking soda and powder, the tablespoon cinnamon, salt, and flour. Pour wet into the dry and mix until combined. %u00a0Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Combine the tablespoon brown sugar and teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Pop into oven and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a tester poked into middle comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove form loaf pan and let completely cool.%u00a0
Eat what you want and store the rest in an air tight container for a few days. Can be sliced and frozen too.
I remember reading somewhere (I wish I could remember where) that irish soda bread is just four ingredients, flour, sea salt, baking soda and buttermilk and adding %u00a0anything else would make %u00a0it a cake. So when I decided to make irish soda bread, thats all I used. ( I made it with some wheat flour) What you end up with is a highly dense, super fragrant, soft, chewy bread with a crunchy crust. Definitely not a cake.
Note%u2026.You can for sure add in a bit of sweetener or even little fat to make it richer and softer, but then it wouldn’t be bread (or so that’s what I read) There are tons of other recipes out there that have other stuff in them. This is just a really simple basic recipe.%u00a0
Stick in into the oven for 50 ish minutes, or unit la tester stuck into the middle comes out clean and there is kind of a hollow thunk when tapped on.%u00a0
And now you have a very pretty, dense hunk of irish soda bread.%u00a0
Cut and serve with butter and honey (thats how the mister likes it) or whatever you want to eat it with.
-C
Irish Soda Bread
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and salt. Mix in buttermilk until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems to dry, add another splash or two of milk. Dump out dough onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. transfer onto a baking sheet, dust with flour and cut a x about 1/2 inch into the top. Stick into oven for 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread makes a hollow sound when tapped.
Let cool enough to handle.
Cut into and serve with a smear of whatever you want
Best eaten within a day or two