I have to preface my remarks about this recipe by saying that I love cornbread. And that I really haven’t tasted any cornbread that I found inedible. Of course I like some better than others. But in general I’m not terribly fussy. I like them all. That’s why this is not the first cornbread recipe to appear on this site. This is merely one of my favorites. So I hope you enjoy it too. The flavor is wonderful and the texture is moist and tender. And you don’t even need to involve your mixer in the preparation. Just 2 bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a whisk, and your trusty rubber spatula. Easy as can be.

So next time you serve soup, stew, or chili, whip up a batch of this yummy bread as an accompaniment. Your status as kitchen wizard will not be threatened. In fact, it might even be enhanced. Happy baking!

• 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• ⅔ c. medium grained yellow cornmeal
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• 2 T. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 T. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• ¼ c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 (14.75 oz.) can creamed corn
• 3 lg. eggs
• fleur de sel or other flaky salt

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, and pinch of cayenne.   

In a large bowl, stir together the oil, sour cream, creamed corn, and eggs until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, just until combined.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 11×7-inch Pyrex pan or 10-inch cast iron skillet. Lightly sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

I love banana bread, but I hate bananas. And even though I used to eat them regularly, the last few years I have given myself permission to leave them in the grocery store where they belong. And just because I already have a wonderful banana bread recipe on this site, doesn’t mean that another recipe wouldn’t be nice to have too. Especially if the new recipe contains malted milk powder, which this recipe just happens to include.

Now, do I like this recipe better than my old recipe? Not necessarily. It’s just a little bit richer and moister. And I find that a plus in its favor. But either recipe makes for some very good eating. And isn’t that what this blog is all about?

So if you too enjoy banana bread, and happen to want to try one that is just a tiny bit different, give this baby a try. But truly, you really can’t go wrong with either recipe on this site. They are both perfect with breakfast or as an afternoon treat with a hot cup of coffee or tea. And if you refrigerate the loaf, it will happily stay fresh and delicious for several days.

Happy baking dear friends. And stay healthy. I’ve got lots more recipes I want to pass your way. So stick around.

• ½ c. unsalted butter, room temp.
• ¾ c. granulated sugar
• ¼ c. light brown sugar
• 2 lg. eggs
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ c. bread flour  
• 2 T. malted milk powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. kosher salt 
• 1 rounded c. mashed ripe banana (I used 3 medium sized bananas)
• ¾ c. toasted chopped walnuts
• ½ c. sour cream
• 2 T. coarse sugar (sometimes called decorating sugar)

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. 

Whisk the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt together.

Add the dry ingredients, then bananas, nuts, and finally the sour cream. Mix well.

Pour batter into a buttered 9×15-inch loaf pan or 2 prepared 7½ x 3½-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle on the coarse sugar.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or for smaller pans, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before slicing or storing.

Please note: If you have old aluminum pans that are rusting, maybe you should consider getting some new loaf pans. Mr. C. finally asked me to replace my old pans because he didn’t want to consume any more rust. OK, I get that. I don’t think I even noticed anymore because I had been using those same pans for 50 odd years.

So I went on line and purchased a two pack of Stellar James Martin 1 lb. non-stick Loaf Tin Pans.

Now you know this is a non-advertising site. But these are the best loaf pans I have ever used. They are the perfect size for us, because recipes that make enough batter for 1 9×15-inch loaf pan is just the perfect amount for 2 of these little darlings. They measure 7½ x 3½ x 2¾ inches. And I have always enjoyed using the smaller pans for everything from meat loaf to quick bread. For us, 1 loaf can be consumed while the other loaf can be tucked away in our freezer for some later date when it’s obvious to both of us that we deserve a treat. 

True confession time. I could eat carrot cake with cream cheese frosting every day of my life if weight and remaining healthy were not a concern. But since they are, I probably only bake a carrot cake once a year. But when I do – watch out baby. Because carrot cake is good 3 times a day – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I really can’t stop myself. I like carrot cake that much!

So when I was preparing food for our last trailer trip, I thought a healthy (emphasis on healthy) quick bread would be nice to have along. Quick breads (think banana bread) are perfect with breakfast, for an elevenses snack with a cup of coffee, or even for dessert. So then, what quick bread to fix? And for whatever reason, I thought about how much I love carrot cake. Which then naturally led me to – why not a carrot bread?

Now I had never thought about a carrot bread before, much less tasted one (that I can remember), but the idea of a carrot quick bread was like a revelation. Maybe all those lovely carrot cake ingredients could be magically transformed into something I could enjoy more often than once a year! Then, I couldn’t imagine that someone out there wasn’t already several steps ahead of me in developing a recipe. So I went on line. And I found a recipe on the An Oregon Cottage web site that was almost what I was looking for. So I started with Jami’s recipe and added my own special touches. And I came up with the recipe I am sharing with you today. (Is that applause I hear coming from your computer?)

So to make a long story short, we cut into this bread for breakfast one morning while on our trip, and there was much rejoicing in the Carr trailer with our first bite.

Now understand, this carrot bread is never going to take the place of carrot cake with its moist and delicious texture and cream cheese frosting to die for. Never in a million years. However, not wanting either of us to die any time in the near future mandates a change in our way of thinking about food. And I’m thinking this bread is a pretty darn good way to enjoy the wonderful flavor of carrot cake without having the little devil that lives on my left shoulder applauding my lack of self-control, while the little angel who sits on my other shoulder weeps uncontrollably into a soggy Kleenex!

So if you love carrot cake, and happen to be looking for a quick bread with lots of carrot cake flavor, that’s easy to prepare, and contains considerably less carbohydrates than “the real thing”, this recipe is for you. And yes, you can add a bit of frosting or glaze to the top of this delicious bread. But you’re not going to get a recipe from me. I have enough to deal with from my own little devil. I don’t need yours hounding me too! (Enjoy the recipe and love and peace to all.)

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour*

2 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ c. sour cream

½ c. real maple syrup

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted  

1 lg. egg

2½ c. shredded carrots

¼ c. golden raisins

¼ c. shredded coconut

½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans  

cooking spray

Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, maple syrup, melted and cooled butter, and egg. Pour the sour cream mixture over the dry ingredients and mix just until just combined. Fold in the carrots along with the golden raisins, coconut, and walnuts. (The dough will be very thick.)

Spread the dough evenly into a large loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans that have been coated with cooking spray. Level off the tops with an offset spatula.    

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 to 65 minutes (depending on the size of your pan or pans) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a metal rack to cool completely.

Store in refrigerator or freezer.  

*or you can use all whole wheat flour

I love bread. Always have, always will. And for me the best part of a lot of restaurant meals is the warm bread brought out just after the server has taken our order. Yum. And so I like to serve some type of bread when I have company. Of course, some meals don’t warrant bread or rolls, but those that do, and I have the time needed to bake, I give it a go. And with this recipe that takes much less time than most roll recipes, it’s a snap for me to have rolls on the table in the blink of an eye. (Well, it takes longer than that, but not much!)

And these babies are delicious. And with a stand mixer, the ease of preparation makes me feel almost guilty for taking any credit at all. I mean really. Dump a few ingredients in the mixer bowl, set the thing on go, and add enough flour until the bowl is practically clean. How hard is that?

Of course it did take some talent to form the dough into 18 even hunks. But I can almost do that in my sleep because of lots of years of practice. But then again, you only get good at doing something by performing the act over and over. It’s just like that decades old question. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Answer – practice, practice, practice! How do you make a good dinner roll? Use this recipe and (you guessed it) practice, practice, practice. Enjoy.  

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, or more if needed

2 pkgs. or 2 T. rapid rise or instant yeast

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 lg. egg, room temperature

1 tsp. kosher salt  

1½ c. whole milk

6 T. unsalted butter, melted, divided

fleur de sel or kosher salt, for topping

Combine 3½ cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, egg, and the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Heat milk until warm. (Remember, it can’t be too warm or the heat will kill the yeast.)

Add the warm milk and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter to the flour mixture. Knead 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally if needed. Add enough additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl while kneading. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch down the dough.

Divide the dough into 18 torpedo shaped pieces. (Don’t worry if the sizes are not perfectly equal. But do make them as consistent as possible.) Place in a lightly buttered 9×13-inch pan. (I use a glass Pyrex pan.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.  

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. (An instant read thermometer should register between 185 to 190 degrees when they are done.) Remove from oven and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter while the rolls are still warm. Lightly sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve warm or at room temperature with lots of room temperature butter.

As I sit at my desk writing this preface, I see grey skies, grey water, and leaves on deciduous trees in shades anywhere from rusty red to a lovely golden yellow. The leaves are beautiful, the grey – not so much! All of which however serve to remind me that it is fall, with winter just around the corner. But the one redeeming feature that makes enduring these upcoming soggy and dark months semi passable for me, is that I get to prepare soups and stews. Because I truly love to both cook and eat these hot and savory dishes. Especially when accompanied by a lovely piece or two of homemade bread. So knowing that everyone seems to love comfort food especially during the dreary months, I decided to share with you one of my favorite bread recipes. This recipe is both easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

I have been making this bread since my children were very young. In fact, when I made this bread, or any kind of bread for that matter for an extended family dinner gathering, my son Sven would fill up on the bread, generously spread with soft butter I might add, and totally ignore the rest of the dishes I was serving. (Except dessert, of course!) But those were wonderful times, and an occasional dinner of just bread didn’t seem to hurt my son or anyone else in the least.

This recipe is straight out of my then new Stone-Buhr Kitchens 1971 cookbook entitled Cooking with Gourmet Grains. Still one of my favorite cookbooks BTW. (OK, I did reduce the amount of sugar, but that is the only change I made.)

So next time you decide to serve soup or stew, give this incredibly delicious bread a try. After all, most soups and stews take a fairly long time to cook. So while your soup or stew is happily burbling away on the stove, you could be making a loaf or two of this bread!  Now wouldn’t that thrill your family and friends?  After all, “Nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven”! Quote from the Pillsbury Doughboy (aka Poppin’ Fresh).  Actually, at 42 years old, the Pillsbury Doughboy should now be referred to as the Pillsbury Doughman. But I’ll never win that argument with the makers of advertisements, so I might as well leave that subject unassailed! Enjoy the bread.

• ¼ c. barely warm water
• 1 pkg. or 1 T. active dry yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 c. lg. curd cottage cheese
• 1 T. dehydrated onion
• 1 T. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. dill seed
• 1 lg. egg
• 2¼ – 2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

Pour water into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle with yeast and sugar. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the cottage cheese to lukewarm and stir in the onion, butter, salt, baking soda, and dill seed. When the mixture is cool to the touch, add the egg. Add the cottage cheeses mixture to the yeast mixture; blend with your dough hook.

Add enough flour to make a stiff batter. Knead for a couple of minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 50-60 minutes. Punch down and turn into a well-greased 1½ qt. casserole dish or loaf pan. (When making a double batch, I divide the batter between 3 loaf pans. Makes for nice sized loaves.) Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until almost doubled.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches about 200 degrees. (You may need to place a piece of aluminum foil over the bread for the last 10-15 minutes to prevent the top crust from getting too brown.)

Remove bread from casserole or loaf pan; cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with lots of soft butter.

And yes, this is yet another zucchini recipe! (I’m on a roll, and at this point, there’s no stopping me. At least until friends stop gifting me with home grown zucchini!) But even if I didn’t have zucchini in both my refrigerators, and a couple of cupboards in my unheated garage, I would want you to have this recipe. This zucchini bread is simply that good. And very easy to prepare.

The back story: A few years ago at a Labor Day family campout, daughter Ursala brought several loaves of this zucchini bread to share with her dear mother, Mr. C, her siblings and family, and the rest of our extended community. Well (and I’m still not proud of myself for this), it got time to pack up and leave, and one of the things that “left” was an absconded loaf of this delicious bread. I just walked over to her camp site and “lifted” one of the loaves. (What kind of mother does that?)

Now anyone who has the good fortune of being acquainted with my darling Ursala, knows that she would have gladly given me a loaf, had I but asked. But I was desperate! I absolutely had to have a loaf of this bread to take home.

Well the upshot is that, a) she knew immediately who had taken the bread, b) she was happy that I liked her bread so much, and c) SHE SENT ME THE RECIPE!

So dear readers, if someone gives you home grown zucchini, or you have to drive to your local grocery store to procure a zucchini or two, please make this delicious bread at your earliest convenience. It is just lovely.

Thanks again for the recipe my dearest Ursala. I love you to the moon!  

• 2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. soda
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ c. sesame seeds
• ¼ c. sunflower seeds
• ¾ c. chopped walnuts
• 3 eggs
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 1½ c. granulated sugar
• ½ c. brown sugar
• 2 c. packed grated zucchini (skin on)
• 2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, soda, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Stir in the sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and sugars. Stir in the grated zucchini and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour into 2 or 3 lightly greased loaf pans. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes (depending on how many pans you use) until a pick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each loaf.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carefully removing from pans onto a wire rack. Cool completely before cutting.

Note: Believe it or not, this bread is best after it’s been frozen for a couple of days or longer. Of course you can eat it the same day it’s baked, but I’m tellin’ you true, it’s better after its spent some quality time with your ice cream!