April showers and all that jazz. It’s a perfect day to turn on the oven and bake a bit of something sweet. After all the cold weather and comfort food nesting this winter, I’m cutting the sugar with a Peanut Butter Honey Quick-Bread for breakfast or an afternoon snack. It is especially yummy when lightly toasted and drizzled with honey or strawberry jam.
Did I tell you the strawberry jam is low-sugar freezer jam made with strawberries from my backyard patch?
A quick-bread requires no yeast to rise. The dry ingredients are mixed with the wet then baked, quick and easy. It is more dense than a yeast bread but I like the filling texture. It’s an easy way to play with a new-to-you type of flour.
New Year’s resolutions are for the birds, in my opinion. We talked about resolutions in a podcast episode last year. I am okay with swapping some habits for healthier ones. I’ve decided to mix up my morning routine. I’d like to include a bit more stretching and moving to start my day. What about you?
Why not mix it up in the pantry? Start by reading labels, considering food sources and learning how processed they might be. Question things that don’t look familiar. Pick up Michael Pollan’s Food Rules as a guideline.
Let’s find an easy ingredient, which can swapped cup-for-cup for many recipes, to add to your pantry. Flour!
I use unbleached, American-grown and milled flours. Specifically white whole wheat, unbleached all-purpose, and spelt flours. White whole wheat flour is a particular variety of wheat which is a bit lighter in texture and flavor than the typical whole wheat flour.
Use white whole wheat flour cup-for-cup in recipes calling for whole wheat flour, 50/50 in recipes calling for all-purpose flour or a smaller ratio until you find a blend that works for you. It will bake with a golden color versus bright white and it will not be a light flour to use for recipes like sponge cake. Start by using with muffins or quick-breads until you find a ration you prefer.
Echo Hill Country Store, in Fleetwood, is a favorite local source for a variety of flours, baking, and cooking supplies. I hope you might consider the simple addition of white whole wheat flour into your pantry. (I’m not asking you to toss all of your white pasta … yet).
- 2 cups unbleached or whole wheat white flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
- 1¼ cups milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, milk, eggs, honey, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients stirring until combined. Scoop into a greased loaf pan.
- Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 50-55 minutes until golden.
- Allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a cooling rack. Allow to cool.
Asheli Godfrey says
This looks delicious!
Phoebe says
Thank you! I hope you give it a try.
elizabeth phillips says
I made this bread today. Thank you for the recipe. Any suggestions how to make sweeter (like a banana bread) along with more peanut butter flavor?