The Lazy Gal’s Breakfast: Make Quick Breads Over the Weekend, Eat All Week!
I’m a fan of quick bread. The prep times are minimal and breads typically bake within an hour. And quick breads are excellent for breakfast. If you can spare eggs, oil, flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, a few staple spices, some fruit, and 50 minutes, you’re set.
My expert advice? Make a sweet and tasty loaf over the weekend (when you have time and are calmer than normal), and eat slices for breakfast all week. Quick bread is a no muss, no fuss breakfast option for the woman on the go (or the lazy lady who abhors making breakfast every day – but who doesn’t prefer to be called “busy?”).
Pumpkin-Banana Bread (Midwest Living)
I had a spare can of pumpkin, and an over-ripe banana, so I decided to try this bread over the weekend. The recipe yields two loaves and the bread tastes wonderful. I did replace the oil with spiced applesauce, used walnuts instead of pecans, left out the salt, and added some pumpkin pie spice.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup water
1 15 – ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 large)
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
*Use organic ingredients when possible/
Method
“Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a very large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; set sugar mixture aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Alternately add flour mixture and the water to the sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin and banana. Stir in pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. If you like, wrap and store overnight before slicing.”
Cranberry Apple Bread (Boston Organics)
They tout this as a wonderful Thanksgiving bread, but I say it works for an October, “let’s celebrate fall” bread, too.
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons cold butter (cut into small pieces)
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 Tablespoons grated orange zest (about 2 navel oranges, total between zest and juice)
1 egg
1 half bag cranberries, cut in half
1 apple peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)
Method
“Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan with cooking spray or butter. Grate orange zest, squeeze orange juice. Prepare cranberries by cutting each in half and peel, core and cut apple. Combine orange juice, zest, and egg and beat. Mix together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Add butter to dry mix and use your fingers to incorporate thoroughly until crumbly texture. Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture and mix just until dry ingredients are absorbed. Fold in cranberries, apple, and walnuts. Pour batter into pan and make level. Bake at 350 for 60-75 minutes or a knife inserted comes out clean.”
Some other tasty quick breads from Organic Authority:
“Go Loaf Crazy: 3 Creative Quickbreads”
Image: The Delicious Life
