The first time I tasted my sister-in-law Evelyn’s banana bread I was hooked. First of all, I am not the banana lover everyone assumes me to be. OK, yes, I do almost always have bananas in the fruit basket I keep on my kitchen counter, and I do have half a banana most mornings, but that doesn’t mean I like them! Bananas are just convenient. You don’t have to cut them or core them or get all sticky from their juice, so like I said, they’re convenient. Add that to the fact that I am lazy, and you have a winning combination. And really it isn’t just that I don’t fully appreciate the taste of bananas, it’s just that I have always preferred veggies to fruit (with one notable exception discussed below.) Just the way I was made, I guess. And it’s not because I wasn’t exposed to fruit as a child.

We lived on 2½ acres when I was growing up and we grew every type of fruit imaginable (at least imaginable for western Washington).  We had several types of apple tree, a peach tree, cherry trees, a pear tree, a crabapple tree, and my favorite, a green Gage plum tree. According to the Raintree Nursery site, “Gage plums came from Italy to France in about 1520 where they were named “Reine Claude”. Brought to England in 1720 by Sir William Gage, he soon lost the labels. These delicious fruits, ideal for dessert or jams, have thereafter been named after him.” (A little bit of plum trivia that has absolutely no relevance to today’s post.)

Green Gage plums may be perfect for dessert or jams, but the best way to eat them is fresh off the tree. I can remember every year spending days harvesting plums, one plum at a time, and eating them until I was practically sick. I can still hear my mom calling to me from the front porch of our home warning me that one day I would eat too many plums and make myself sick. Never happened. And now, it’s hard to find these little darlings in the grocery store or even at a farmer’s market. Sigh…..

So I guess I’ll have to stick with bananas as my “get the minimum requirement of fruit in my daily diet” go to fruit. And of course, bananas will always possess that one redeeming quality that makes them worth appearing in every super market in America. They are, and will always be, the star of one of our most beloved quick breads. And if you can find even one person who doesn’t like banana bread, you will be one up on me. Auntie Evelyn, again a big thank-you for this easy and delicious recipe.

• ½ c. butter, melted
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 c. mashed very ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. hot coffee
• ½ c. chopped walnuts, opt.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture alternately with the hot coffee until mixture is thoroughly combined. Stir in nuts. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Let sit for a couple of minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.

As I wrote in my Rosemary Olive Bread post, the use of a clay baker is really wonderful when you bake round loaves of Italian style bread.

When I say Italian style bread, I mean the type of bread you can find in practically every bakery all over Italy. It has a fairly thick, chewy crust, and a pleasant coarse texture, full of small holes perfect for sopping up pasta sauce or soup broth.

And this onion dill bread is indeed perfect with soup. The dill, although prevalent, is not overwhelming. It just lends a richness to the bread, as does the dehydrated onion. And for just the best taste treat imaginable, slather a piece of warm out of the oven bread with room temperature butter. Bite into this culinary delight and you will be ever so glad you took the time to bake your own bread.

I served this bread a couple of months ago for one of our pre-concert JazzVox lunches. I was a little concerned because I had no idea if my guests would appreciate the dill flavor as much as I do. But why I even bothered to concern myself is now way beyond my comprehension. Ours guests finished off the entire loaf before either Mr. C or I had a taste! You’d have thought I was feeding a bunch of teenagers rather than the very sophisticated, well educated group of vocal jazz lovers who were in attendance that day! But when it comes to homemade bread, there are few who can resist. And my guests that day were no exception.

For more information about clay bakers (as I call them), please read the blog post referenced above. And if you love vocal jazz and live in the Puget Sound area, please visit www.jazzvox.com for more information about home concerts in your area.

• 2 c. warm water
• 1 pkg. or 2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 ½ tsp. salt
• 3 T. dehydrated chopped onion
• 3 T. dill seed
• 5 T. gluten flour
• 5 c. bread flour
• vegetable oil

In the bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, and salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add onion, dill seed, gluten flour, and 4 ½ cups of the bread flour. Knead dough on medium speed, adding more bread flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and soft, about 8-10 minutes. Pour a small amount of oil into the bottom of the bowl and using your hand coat the bread with the oil and round into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Remove dough from bowl. Stretch sides of dough down and under to form a tight, round shape. Place dough in bottom of floured cloche or on a floured baking sheet. Dust top with flour. Cover with lid of baker or tea towel. Let rise 30 minutes. Cut a large shallow X on the top of the loaf using a serrated knife.

To bake using a clay baker: Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, remove the lid, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until done. When done, loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

To bake on a floured baking sheet: Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until done. When done, loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

I guess while I am on my high horse about homemade bread, I might as well post a couple more of my favorite bread recipes. (Getting down off a horse any more is quite difficult, so while I am up here, I might as well make the most of my stay!)

I have been making this rosemary olive bread for about 20 years, and each time I serve it people can’t believe it was produced in my home rather than in a bakery. But I have a secret weapon! It’s called a round clay baker or if you want the official title – a Sassafras Superstone™ La Cloche Round Bread Cloche. (The name was obviously approved through the Department of Redundancy Department, but I digress.)

Regardless of how fancy you want to be about the name, this product replicates the benefits of baking in a brick oven. Ceramic bread cloches turn out loaves with tender, moist interiors and crispy, evenly golden crusts. The unglazed clay absorbs heat to ensure even baking on all sides, while the porous surface absorbs moisture to give the crust a crispy bite.

Now granted, unless you plan to bake bread on a regular basis, investing in a bread cloche (about $60) might not be the smartest use of your money. But if you do bake bread, even on a semi-regular basis or just for company, purchasing one of these babies will help guarantee a perfect bakery like bread every time. Ever figure out the difference between the cost of a purchased large round loaf of artisanal bread and what it costs you to bake a similar loaf at home? Unless you are of strong constitution, don’t do it. The cost difference is enough to make even the most stoic man or woman break into tears.

And yes of course you can use this recipe even if you don’t have one of those thingamajigs. Just place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven before your turn on the oven. The moisture created by evaporation will help give the crust a crispy texture. And needless to say, the flavor will still be wonderful. Happy Baking!

• 2 c. warm water
• 1 pkg. or 2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ c. pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
• 5 T. gluten flour
• 5 c. bread flour
• vegetable oil

In the bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, and salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add olives, rosemary, gluten flour, and 4 ½ cups of the bread flour. Knead dough on medium speed, adding more bread flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and soft, about 8-10 minutes. Pour a small amount of oil into the bottom of the bowl and using your hands coat the bread with the oil and round into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Remove dough from bowl. Stretch sides of dough down and under to form a tight, round shape. Place dough in bottom of floured cloche or on a floured baking sheet. Dust top with flour. Cover with lid of baker or tea towel. Let rise 30 minutes. Cut a large shallow X on the top of the loaf using a serrated knife.

To bake using a clay baker: Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, remove the lid, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until done. When done, loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

To bake on a floured baking sheet: Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until done. When done, loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

So, what’s not to love about homemade bread? And when the bread comes in the form of a soft yet chewy breadstick that has been liberally slathered with garlic infused butter and sprinkled with finely grated Parmesan, what could be better? Pretty much nothing comes to my mind. But then, I am a bread gal. I don’t believe I have ever turned down a piece of homemade bread. Well, except for a few pieces that came out of a friend’s bread machine. This was years ago when bread machines were new to the market; when every other cook book writer was touting the enjoyment of baking your own bread with the same ease and convenience as preparing an unforgettable dinner using your crock pot! (Throw some ingredients in a machine before you leave for work, and walk away. Come home and your main course and fresh bread are ready when you walk in the door.)

Now granted, the idea of saving time in the evening was truly appealing. What wasn’t appealing, at least to me, was the consistency of the bread and some of the strange flavors introduced to make the breads appear more exotic. Tomato Soup Bread and Curry Bread are just two examples of bread recipes that I remember from the early days of bread machines. Scary, but true!

Although I haven’t tried a bread machine for 30 years, and frankly don’t intend to in the future, if that is how you build your bread – go for it! What matters is that you have control of the ingredients when you make your own bread. No preservatives, not too much salt, no sugar if you so choose, etc. etc. However you build bread, do so at every opportunity. Not only will it save you buckets of money, your family will think you are the best thing since sliced bread! (Now I “wonder” how that phrase ever became part of the vernacular!)

• 1 c. warm water
• 2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling on baked breadsticks
• 3 c. bread flour
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 T. butter
• 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• finely grated Parmesan cheese

Pour the water into a mixing bowl, sprinkle with yeast, and stir in the sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let rest (proof) for 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and knead for 4-5 minutes adding flour as needed to make a fairly stiff dough. Round dough up in the bowl, pour a little olive oil over the top, and turn dough with your hands until the entire surface is coated. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for an hour. Remove the dough from the bowl; roll into a 10×12-inch rectangle. Cut into strips about ¾-inch wide, then cut strips in two. Give each strip a twist and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.  Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until just done. Do not over bake. Meanwhile melt butter and add garlic cloves. Heat until the garlic cloves begin to sizzle. Remove from heat. When the bread sticks are finished baking, remove from oven and brush liberally with the garlic infused butter and sprinkle about half of the breadsticks with grated Parmesan (go light on the Parmesan) and all of the breadsticks with a very light sprinkle of kosher salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.