Thursday, April 15, 2010

Baby Bread Redux

Every week I make at least one loaf of what I call "baby bread." This quick bread is, well, quick, and easy, so a little guy can help. It's also healthy but tasty, with a slight sweetness. It's a perfect snack upon wake up from a nap, or a mid-morning bite after a romp outside. The great thing is the versatility of these breads. The one above was made with pureed sweet potatoes, beets and carrots. The batter was a bright, technicolor pink! I had pressure cooked a small dice of these root vegetables for the little guy, but he decided not to be interested in them. So, I pureed them. Still not interested. Baking them in a bread did the trick, and made the loaf naturally sweet and moist. Like baking with applesauce. I'm sure you could interchange any number of vegetables or fruits and get a satisfactory result.

3 cups of flour (2 cups wheat and 1 cup all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1 cup vegetable puree (beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, in this case)
1/4 cup agave

Mix wet and add to dry. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. I used a square 8x8 inch pan.


Flower interlude: aren't grape hyacinths special? I never planted a one, and they are scattered all over my lawn, probably thanks to the squirrels. They are so intricate! And the neighbors wonder why I don't cut my lawn. There's too many nice things growing in there!

Now here's a sturdy baby bread. Peanut butter bread! Slathered with jelly, this is my kind of snack. I used vanilla sugar, too, so when it was baking it smelled like Reese's Pieces, which I have a thing for. I was going to make peanut butter granola cookies. But I saw via Twitter this from Foodista, an anonymous recipe that I adapted to my tastes and needs. The hook was peanut butter bread with jelly. Of course I was sold. There's the random beauty that is Twitter.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup oil (I wonder if this is even necessary, but did it anyway)
1 cup buttermilk (milk or yogurt would do fine)
2 eggs

In my slapdash fashion, I mixed wet and added to dry, folding the peanut butter in at the end. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. I use a square 8x8 inch pan.

9 comments:

  1. I wouldn't mow my lawn, either, if I had one . . . especially if it had something so beautiful as grape hyacinths growing in it. That is some really cute pink bread! What a great ritual for your little person.

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  2. Totally have to try this one... my boy won't eat many veggies right now(tho he used to eat anything pureed when he was tiny...). Love that it is in a square pan too! Thanks for posting it!

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  3. Both breads look great! I'll definitely give that peanut butter bread a try. What a great snack - even with banana and honey or raspberry mash!

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  4. Shae - Mowing is overrated! You should have seen it before baking. So pink! The kitchen gets messy, but it's nice messy.

    R - Same with my guy. He just started refusing all the veggies he used to love. Oh well. Everyone said it would happen. I do love my little square pan!

    Kristin - Oh, yes! Banana and honey sounds perfect!

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  5. Love the idea of beets in bread like this! I hate that picky stage where they stop eating things they once would eat. We are still there and he'll be 4 in July. It's just getting worse. Curses!

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  6. I did a double take at your first baby bread--first the name, and second, the wonderful colour of it.

    However, I must admit, I like the sound and look of the second baby bread even more. Peanut butter is awesome sauce.

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  7. Annette- Curses indeed!

    fattydumpling - Oh, we stuffed our faces with that pb bread. It really was more on the sweet than savory side, which is how we roll.

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  8. I love the idea of sneaking veggies into breads. My kids always go for it.
    Never tried sweet potatoes or beets. Sounds delish!

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  9. E - Thanks! Yes, it's not a new idea by any means. Moms have been working on this one for years, I'd say. I never thought to bake with beets, though, either. It really worked.

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