Quick Breads and Muffins

I did a recent article about healthy ideas for breakfast and one of my points suggested having muffins ready made for quick thawing and eating on the run. Another idea is to have quick breads available. Quick bread recipes can easily be baked in muffin tins. They are just yummy when spread with cream cheese and jam or peanut butter and jam. Following are several recipes for quick breads and muffins.

Banana-Orange Loaf: 1 3/4 cups flour; 2/3 cup sugar; 1 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. baking soda; 1/2 cup shortening; 2 medium bananas, mashed; 2 eggs, slightly beaten; 1 tsp. orange extract. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan. In large bowl mix first five ingredients together with a fork. With pastry blender cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in bananas, eggs and orange extract just until blended. Spread batter evenly in loaf pan. Bake one hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove and let cool completely.

Orange Peel Bread: 1 cup orange peel; 1 3/4 cups sugar; 1 Tbsp. butter; 1 egg; 2 cups milk; 4 cups flour; 4 tsp. baking powder; 1/8 tsp. salt. Cut orange peel in small pieces. Cover with water and cook until tender. Add 1 cup sugar and boil to syrupy consistency. Cream butter and add remaining sugar, egg, milk and flour mixed with baking powder and salt. Beat well and add orange peel mixture. Put in two buttered loaf pans. Let stand 20 minutes. Bake 40-50 minutes in 325 degree oven. Makes 2 loaves.

Ice Box Muffins: 6 cups all bran cereal or bran buds cereal; Pour 2 cups boiling water over the bran and mix to soften. Then mix 1 cup shortening (or vegetable oil) into the hot bran mixture. Add 2 1/2 cups sugar; 4 eggs, well beaten; 5 cups flour; 1 quart buttermilk; 5 Tbsp. baking soda; 3 Tbsp. molasses; 1 tsp. salt. Mix thoroughly. You may add raisins, dates, or blueberries before baking. Spoon into muffin cups as needed. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. This recipe makes a lot of muffins and is great to make on a Sunday afternoon and freeze the muffins to be thawed and eaten as needed.

Peanut Butter Muffins: (This recipe has been in my recipe box since I was in the seventh grade. It was a recipe our teacher had us make in home-ec class. Remember home-ec?) 2 cups flour; 1/2 cup peanut butter; 2 eggs; 1 Tbsp. baking powder; 1 cup milk; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tsp. salt. In mixing bowl, sift together flour and baking powder--set aside. Put peanut butter in mixing bowl, add milk, eggs, sugar and salt to peanut butter and mix until combined. Pour wet mixture over the dry mixture and mix just until blended. Fill greased muffin tin until 2/3 full. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Makes approximately 12 muffins.

Apple Streusel Muffins: Batter Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1/4 tsp. allspice; 1/4 tsp. baking soda; 1/4 tsp. salt; 2 large eggs; 1/4 cup margarine, melted; 1 cup sour cream; 1 cup tart, unpeeled apples, diced (such as Granny Smith apples.) Streusel Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts; 1/4 cup flour; 3 Tbsp. sugar; 2 Tbsp. butter at room temperature; 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Put streusel topping ingredients into a medium size bowl. Mix with fork, then crumble with fingers until mixture looks like chopped walnuts. To make muffin batter, thoroughly mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Break eggs into another bowl. Add sour cream and melted margarine and whisk until well blended. Stir in diced apple. Pour egg mixture over flour mixture and fold in just until dry ingredients are moistened. Scoop batter into muffin cups. Top each muffin with about 2 Tbsp. of streusel topping. Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned. Do toothpick test. Remove from pan and let cool about one hour before serving.

Raisin-Date Muffins: 4 extra ripe bananas, mashed; 1 cup cooked and mashed pumpkin; 3 eggs; 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 5 cups all purpose flour; 1 Tbsp. baking soda; 2 tsp. cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. cloves; 1 cup chopped dates; 1 cup seedless raisins. Generously grease a 12 muffin pan and 2 (8 1/2 x 4 1/2") loaf pans. (Told ya the recipes are interchangeable, didn't I?) When you mash the bananas you will need 2 cups. Combine bananas, pumpkin, eggs and sugar in mixing bowl. Beat in oil. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into banana mixture just until blended. Fold in dates and raisins. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup and pour remaining batter in loaf pans as equally as possible. Bake muffins in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Bake the breads in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to complete cooling. Makes 12 muffins and two loaves of quick bread. This is another recipe to bake on a week-end then use it for fast breakfasts.

Toasted quick bread is easily made. Just pop a slice or two in the toaster and spread with your favorite condiment.