BY GWEN KENNEALLY
Gift giving is an amazing time to express love and creativity. With life full and busy these quick breads make excellent holiday gifts. It is a great activity for the family and is an opportunity to spend time together and teach the power and joy of giving. You can make large loaves or do a basket full of minis. Wrap tightly in plastic and then have fun with festive packaging. Everyone loves a thoughtful gift from the heart and kitchen.
Holiday Gingerbread
1/2-cup butter
1/2-cup brown sugar
1-cup molasses
2 1/2 cup Flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. soda dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
2 well-beaten eggs
Cream the butter with brown sugar, add molasses. Sift the spices with the flour. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture mix well. Add soda in boiling water then add the eggs last. Place in a buttered 9 by 13 pan bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
Cranberry Orange Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4-cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2-teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon salt
1/4-cup butter
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries, leave a few whole
1/2 cup chopped glace green cherries (optional)
Pre heat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Combine orange juice and grated rind with well-beaten eggs. Pour all at once into dry ingredients, mixing just enough to dampen. Dust chopped cranberries and cherries with a tablespoon of flour; carefully fold into batter Spoon into a well-buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Sprinkle a few floured whole cranberries over top of batter. Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in casserole 10 minutes, then remove. Frost with confectioner’s frosting, (sift 2 cups powder sugar, very slowly add boiling water, a tablespoon at a time, until right spreading consistency, spread on slightly cooled bread).
Zucchini-Nut Bread
1-cup vegetable oil
1-cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1-tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1-teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon baking powder
1/2-teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1-cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 325Oil 2 5 x 9 loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine the oil and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after every addition. Stir in the vanilla and zucchini. In a smaller bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the oil and the egg mixture until just moistened. Fold in the raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake for about one hour, until a knife in the center comes out clean.
Strawberry Bread
4 cups flour
2-teaspoon baking powder
1-teaspoon baking soda
1/2-teaspoon salt
2-teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
3 eggs
3 cups fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
3/4-cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf pans with Baker’s Joy. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Gently stir in the strawberries using a wooden spoon. Stir in one third of flour. Add 1/4-cup sour cream. Repeat twice mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter into the two loaf pans. Smooth the top. Bake for one hour until a toothpick inserted in to the center of each loaf comes out clean. Cool for 1/2 hour in pan and then remove and complete cooling on racks.
Lemon Rosemary Pound Cake
1-cup butter
2 teaspoons rosemary, finely chopped
3 teaspoons lemon zest
4 eggs
1-cup sugar
1-teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-teaspoon baking powder
1/4-teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with bakers joy. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter, zest, and rosemary and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time then add vanilla. On low speed add flour baking powder and salt until just blended. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely.
Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
1-cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin, cooked and purred
Or 1 16-ounce can.
3 cups all purpose flour
1-teaspoon ground cloves
1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-teaspoon ground ginger
1-teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-teaspoon baking soda
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/2-teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons pepites or roasted pumpkin seeds
1-teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Whisk flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Mix the topping ingredients together. Sprinkle over loaves. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.
Eggnog Bread
2 eggs, beaten
1-cup eggnog
2-table spoons rum extract
1-cup sugar
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
1stick butter, softened
2 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan. Whisk together the eggs, eggnog, rum and vanilla extracts sugar, vanilla and butter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add to the eggnog mixture and stir until just moisten and pour into prepared pan. Bake bread for 50 – 60 minutes until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10
About Karen Young
Follow My Daily Find