A Bread for All Seasons

The following is a favorite recipe of ours; we use it all year long. It is from Frozen Assets by Deborah Taylor-Hough, but we tweak it a bit to our liking.

A nice thing about this bread is that it makes two loaves. (One to eat right away and one to freeze or - who are we kidding - to eat the next day). Another nice thing is its versatility. The recipe calls for 2 cups of what is referred to as a Mix-and-Match. This can be 2 cups of any kind of appropriate fruit ~ the rest of the recipe stays the same, you just fill in the signature flavor, if you will.

I love cooking with the seasons, so we use this as a base for seasonal breads ~ whatever's ripe and plentiful that week, goes in: strawberries or rhubarb in spring, peaches or zucchini in the summer, apples or squash in the fall, dried fruit or pearsauce in the winter. We try to use organic ingredients whenever possible and buying in season makes that a more economical choice. A good primer to eating organic produce in season is here.

Two years ago for Mother's Day I made this bread with diced strawberries; tied up with a pretty ribbon it made a lovely (and delicious) gift for the grandmothers.

Mix-N-Match Quick Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (whole wheat and white make a nice blend)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon (we play with this element ~ ginger, cloves etc.)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups sugar (we cut this down and see very little difference)
• 2 cups Mix-N-Match (see list below)
• 3 teaspoons vanilla (use pure vanilla not imitation)
• 1 cup chopped nuts or seeds (we leave these out)

Directions:

1. Sift together dry ingredients
2. In separate bowl, beat eggs; add oil and sugar; cream together.
3. Stir in Mix-N-Match and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in nuts.
5. Spoon into two well-greased loaf pans.
6. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour.

When cool, wrap bread in foil; label and freeze. Makes 2 loaves.

Mix-N-Match (one of more of the following to equal 2 cups) *we've used this ingredient before

• Apples, grated or chopped*
• Applesauce*
• Apricots
• Bananas, mashed or chopped*
• Berries*
• Carrots, cooked and mashed or grated*
• Cherries
• Coconut
• Cranberries, dry or raw, chopped*
• Dates or figs, pitted and finely chopped*
• Lemon, 1/2 cup juice
• Marmalade (omit one cup sugar)*
• Mincemeat
• Oranges, chopped
• Orange juice, 1/2 cup juice
• Peaches, fresh or canned, chopped* (we've also used peach butter)
• Pears, fresh or canned, chopped* (we also like to use pearsauce)
• Pineapple
• Prunes, chopped
• Pumpkin, canned* (we like fresh, cooked and mashed too)
• Raisins*
• Rhubarb, finely chopped (add 1/2 cup more sugar)*
• Strawberries, well drained* (I dice them)
• Sweet potato or yams,cooked and mashed or grated*
• Zucchini, grated and well drained*

Comments

[Amy]

Sounds dee-lish!!

[Angie Mc]

Devin and I have sorta done this with quick bread but have never seen the idea presented so clearly. This is a keeper! Thanks, Dawn.

[Dawn]

Amy and Angie, thanks for your comments!

This is the one recipe we keep taped up somewere, all the time (inside the baking cabinet). I try to keep batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured at the ready and then also prepare and freeze 2 cup mix-n-matches (like zucchini, butternut squash or applesauce). It makes it easier to throw together. All my boys (dh included) loooove quick bread any time of day. :)

[Helene]

I just made this recipe today with the strawberries and 2 cups regular flour with 1 cup whole wheat flour. Everyone loved it. Definitely a dessert! It is nice to have such a flexible quick bread recipe. Thank you.

[Dawn]

Helene, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. We are actually making it today ~ with overripe bananas!

One thing I forgot to mention was when I made the strawberry bread, I tossed the berries with a bit of flour first to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the bread while baking. I learned that from my grandmother who used to make *delicious* blueberry cake every summer ... come to think of it, I'll have to dig that recipe up! :)