Raspberry Lemon Quick Bread

As the weather (finally!) start to get warmer, I like it when my flavors get bolder and pack a bigger punch.  Bonus points if they reflect seasonal tastes, like this raspberry lemon quick bread.

I like quick bread recipes because they're a cinch to throw together and if you decide you want muffins at the last minute instead, no big deal! 

This bread is full of raspberries and complimented by a bright lemony flavor throughout.  I used lemon juice and lemon zest in the topping and in the dough recipe, so it's a really bright and sunny flavor - it kind of reminds me of raspberry lemonade.

I used frozen raspberries because that's what I had on hand when I decided to make this.  If you decide to use frozen, you'll want to let them thaw about halfway - all the way thawed and they're a little soggy, too frozen and they'll make the dough too wet when they cook.  I threw them in the batter with their juice to get a little more of the raspberry flavor throughout, but you can drain them too if you prefer.  The batter was a little bit pink when mixing it, but it didn't affect the final outcome.  Like most things, though, fresh berries are probably best - rinse them well and carefully pat dry.  The batter is dense, so you shouldn't have to worry about them sinking. 

The topping gets really nice and crunchy, adding a contrasting texture to the bread that's surprisingly delicious.  My bread fell apart a little bit when I was slicing it, partly because it was still warm (I was impatient) and also because the topping made the top of the bread heavier than the rest. 

The topping recipe below is half of what I actually used, which should resolve any issues.  You'll want to make sure the bread is completely cooled before you try to flip it out of the pan and the sharper your knife when you slice, the better.  I realized while I was cutting this that we don't have any type of bread knife in this house - weird, I know. 

I've still not gotten one, but I think I can pretty easily get one at the dollar store or something.  If your not serving the bread right away and you don't want to deal with the mess, feel free to leave it in the pan.  Just make sure to cover it tightly so it doesn't get stale.  Although... I bet leaving this out to harden for a day or so would make an incredible french toast!  Mmm.

Normally, this is where I would tell you what other people think.  Alas, I couldn't tell you, because I didn't share!  *I* thought it was delicious though, and my fiance seemed to enjoy the one or two bites that I let him have, so I think that's good enough :)

Raspberry Lemon Bread

For the bread:
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. full fat sour cream
juice from half of a lemon
2 c. raspberries

For the topping:
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp butter
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine butter and sugar.  Add eggs on at a time, beating well after each one.

Add the flour, baking powder and sour cream.  Mix until everything is incorporated.

Carefully fold in raspberries.  Be careful not to overstir.

Scoop batter into prepared pan, gently evening it out with the back of a spoon.

To make the topping, combine flour, sugar, oats and lemon zest in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle on top of the bread before baking.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  The oats will be toasted and golden.

My favorite way to eat this was with a cup of coffee, listening to the birdies chirp away.  What's your favorite springtime recipe?

Blueberry Bread

I'm a little behind on my blogging.  I'm also a little behind on my baking.  Let's blame Mother Nature for both, shall we?

Living in Massachusetts, it's difficult to bake as much as I like to when it's 95 degrees and humid outside and 85 and humid inside.  Even with the AC on, baking in the summer is a challenge - is what I want to make worth heating up the whole apartment?  Will it even come out right because it's so humid?  I do most of my summer baking first thing on Saturday or Sunday mornings or later in the evenings, since that's when it's coolest.  As a result, my posts will probably be slowing down from now until about August/September (when I can't take it anymore), but I do have some awesome no-bake and summery baked recipes that I'm dying to try (watermelon cookies - I'm looking at you!).

Anyhow, here's something I made a couple of weeks ago that's really perfect for this type of weather and the summer season.  Blueberries are in their prime right now, and the light and airiness of this bread really lends itself to a lot of combinations: you can easily serve this by itself or with a scoop of ice cream and/or whipped cream and either more fresh blueberries or other delicious fruits.

I actually made this twice, as the first one barely made it into the door at work before it was devoured.  The second one, Joe and I took our time and savored - then used the rest of it to make french toast, which I will blog about later. 

For me, one of the most surprising things about this bread was my brother's reaction.  Now, I love this kid, but holy hell, he can be really picky sometimes.  My favorite thing to do is say, "Josh, do you like _____?"  And, when he says, no, I make it any way.  Sometimes, he still doesn't like it, but more times than not, he ends up going back for a second or third helping.  He came over after I made this and we ended up just missing each other because I had to work late and then run a couple of errands.  He sent me a text that said he doesn't like blueberries, but the bread was delicious.  Further proof that you don't know you like something until you've actually tried it (PS: Hi Josh)!

What I loved about this recipe is that it's so easy to make.  If you're planning to make it for a party you're having, it's an easy thing to whip up the night before OR the day of, and as long as you put it into an airtight container or cover it good with foil, nobody will know!

I also really like how the blueberries are perfectly mixed in.  I decided to sprinkle the sugar on top because while it was baking, the smell made me think of blueberry muffins, which are my absolute favorite.  I like adding the sugar on top partway through the baking process because then you still get the sweet taste to compliment the tartness of the blueberries, without the sugar crystallizing too much while it's cooking.

I'm a huge fan of fresh berries - and tend to buy way more than one person can reasonably eat - so this is an excellent summertime recipe that will give you something sweet to munch on without being too heavy.

Blueberry Bread
To print this recipe, click here

Ingredients

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar, plus more for dusting

2 eggs

6 oz. vanilla yogurt
1 pint blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add the flour, baking powder and yogurt.  Mix until everything is incorporated.

Carefully fold in the blueberries, being careful not to overstir and not to crush any blueberries.

Scoop batter into prepared pan, using the back of a spoon to gently even it out, if necessary.  Bake for 30 minutes and remove bread from oven.  Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of sugar on top, then return to oven for approximately 30 more minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

When bread is finished baking, let cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes.  Gently run a knife around the outside edge.  Carefully invert onto a plate or cutting board and move to wire rack to cool completely.

Yields 10-12 slices, depending on thickness.

Lemon Poppy Muffins (and bread!)

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I made hamentaschen for Purim.  Well, one of the side effects of making so many in so many different flavors was that I had some leftover poppy seed filling.  Normally, leftover filling isn't an issue, because it's easy enough to find something else to do with it.  Except that I only like poppy seeds in certain things.

It's snowed another 3 or 4 feet in the last couple of weeks, and I am SO over winter.  I got to thinking about recipes and flavors that scream "spring", and my thinking went something like this:  lemon.  lemon bars. good, but not what I'm looking for.  but soon.  I should write that down so I don't forget.  Keep thinking. Lemon... poppy seed.  Lemon poppy bagels.  Yes, but no.  Lemon poppy... muffins.  Yes, lemon poppy muffins! (side note: yes, I have 2 college degrees and sometimes have the attention span of spaghetti.  It happens.)

I made lemon poppy muffins a couple of weeks ago and told mom that I would make some for her.  I did, but then I ate them. Whoops.  I still had some leftover poppy filling and wanted to do something with it before it went bad. I didn't want to make muffins again because I figured the poor little guys would probably never make it my mom's house.  Joe and I were talking about dinner, and I asked if he wanted to me to break to go with it.  Then, I decided I'd make mom a lemon poppy bread.  (Also, I feel like I should tell you that I keep writing lemon poopy.  I don't know why.  These aren't poopy.) 

I mixed up all my ingredients, put the loaf in the oven, and called Josh.  I had to find out what time mom got out of work, because I wanted to make sure it would be there when she got home.  I told Josh what I was making, and he told me he didn't really like lemon but that it sounded delicious so he would try it.

It finally came out of the oven, cooled down enough for me to bring it to mom. When I got there, Josh wanted to try it with me to make sure I got a piece.  I cut a smallish end piece (my favorite!) and handed him a little bit in case he really didn't like it.  His response: "oh man this is sooo good, you should make one for yourself!"  I left him with strict instructions to save some for mom.

Basically, the muffins and the bread are the perfect spring time treat.  The lemon flavor is enough that you notice it, but not enough for you to make a sour face.  The poppy seeds add the perfect nuttiness and crunch to compliment the lemon.  And the lemon glaze is the icing on the cake (badum! I'll be here all week, folks!).  Really though, the lemon glaze makes it for me.  The combination of lemony tartness and sugary sweetness really work together to create a fresh and bright taste that makes me think of spring.  And after learning that we've gotten 106 inches of snow this winter, I'm DEFINITELY ready for anything that resembles springtime!

Lemon Poppy Muffins
To print this recipe, click here



Ingredients
For the muffins
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. full-fat sour cream
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
2 c. flour

For the glaze
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
juice from 1/2 lemon

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment (you can definitely mix these by hand or with a hand mixer, too!), beat butter and sugar until smooth.  Add in the eggs, one at a time.

Beat in lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and sour cream.  Batter will be thin and lumpy.  Stir in flour, poppy seeds and baking soda.  Batter will be thick and easy to scoop.



For muffins: Line a 12-count muffin tin with baking papers.  Fill each one until they're about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.



For bread: Grease a loaf pan and fill it with with batter, spreading to make sure it's even.  Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour, until the top is a light, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Let the muffins or bread cool for 5 minutes.  Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over muffins or bread while still warm.  Let cool completely and enjoy!

 

What are some of your favorite spring or summer flavors?

Italian Bread

One Monday in October, work was closed because of a declared State of Emergency due to Hurricane Sandy.  I was bored out of my skull, and my boyfriend suggested I make bread.  Before looking up recipes, I looked through the cabinets to make sure I had all of the ingredients.  I did, so I hurried off to my laptop to try and find a fairly easy and fail-proof recipe.  Instead of finding one recipe I liked, I found three. The problem was that I liked different parts of them.  I liked some parts of the actual recipe, some parts of the method, some parts of the timing.  They were all more or less the same, so I decided to take the parts I liked from each of them and create my own (I do this fairly often).

My mission was successful, and I've made this bread 3 or 4 times since then.  It's sort of time consuming in that it takes a few hours to make, but you spend most of the time waiting for it to rise, so there's really a lot of down time where you can clean up the mess you've made or throw in a load of laundry or practically pee yourself over excitement for making bread for the first time (I chose the latter).

Click below for the recipe and some photos!