bread Archives - Happy Healthy RD

Health Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter

November 21, 2015 by 8 Comments

This month’s Recipe Redux is all about quick and easy breads, which I am so excited about. Quick breads are on the top of the my list of favorite foods and I can’t wait to check out all the other recipes.

Creative Quick Breads

The holiday baking season is upon us. And this month we’re going way beyond grandma’s banana bread. From sweet to savory and whole-grain to gluten-free, show us your new quick bread creation fresh from the oven. And if you have a tip for wrapping and giving your lovely loaf, please share that too!

This month I wanted to share a new take on a old family recipe for what we call Health Bread. This bread reminds me of warm and cozy holiday nights with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Somehow I was lucky enough to end up with the original recipe on a well-used recipe card. I always loved this bread, it is sweet and chewy and can be enjoyed all by its self. Or as my Dad recommends, it goes great with a piece of cheddar cheese for a sweet and salty snack. But I decided to pair it with cinnamon honey butter because really you can’t go wrong with that combination.

According to my family, this recipe used to be made in cans. After doing some research, I discovered in the late 1940s when metal was scarce it was popular to make a sweet breads in recycled cans because they were cheaper and easier to find than bread pans or muffin tins. This type of recipe was also popular then because it requires no kneading and the ingredients are very simple. I added cinnamon, vanilla, and nuts but those add-ins are optional.

The original recipe calls for All-Bran. I found and it worked perfectly. You could also substitute wheat germ or ground flax. With bran, oatmeal, and dried fruit this bread really racks up the fiber points.

This bread also travels really well so it makes a nice gift. It is quite hearty and the raisins and dates keep it from drying out. I recommend wrapping in waxed or parchment paper, tying with bakers’ twine, and affixing a cute tag. You could also give a small jar of the butter along with the bread.

Now I realize the irony of sharing a ‘health’ bread recipe also with a butter recipe but hey everything in moderation and balance is my philosophy. If you are dairy-free, you could substitute coconut oil.

Health Bread

(inspired by a family recipe)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dates, finely chopped

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup wheat bran

1 cup flour (all-purpose or bread flour)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk with 1 teaspoon baking soda added

Loaf pan, greased

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil dried raisins and dates in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Let stand while combining all other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until dry ingredients are wet. Add in dried fruit and liquid. Pour into greased baking pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Honey Cinnamon Butter

6 tablespoons room temperature butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix until well combined.

Don’t forget to check out all the other links below by my fellow talented Recipe Reduxers!

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Zucchini Bread with Almond Butter Frosting

July 21, 2015 by 22 Comments

This month’s Recipe Redux is right up my alley!

Fresh from the Garden

The season of bountiful produce has arrived. Whether your produce comes from the Farmers Market, a CSA share, or a plot of dirt out back, show how you are using fresh July fruits or veggies. And if you have gardening successes – or failures – please share!

(Don’t forget to check the bottom of the post for many other great recipes!)

We have transformed most of the raised garden beds in our yard that used to have decorative plants into a huge veggie garden. Our garden is a bit crazy right now but I love it. We have already been picking peas, green beans, lettuce, kale, and all the herbs. Tomatoes, zucchini, squash, watermelon, cucumbers, and eggplant all are growing like champs right now. Things are looking a little bit like a jungle but I’m loving it.

These tomatoes are taller than I am!

We picked our first zucchini last week. Last year we had zucchini coming out of our ears so we only planted two plants but from the looks of it, one plant might have been enough. So much zucchini!

I like zucchini roasted, sautéed, in soup, or shredded and fried into fritters but I have to say my favorite way to have it is in zucchini bread. Homemade breads are on the top of my favorite food list…pumpkin, banana, blueberry breads – ah! they are all so gooood. It may be that I love those kinds of breads because they are great vehicle for almond butter but that’s up for debate.

I know there are a million and one zucchini bread recipes out there but my go to is from one of my first cookbooks, the . It is easy and the ingredient list isn’t a mile long. I alter it just a bit but I always use the flour, baking powder ratio they suggest. I did use all whole wheat flour this time but if you aren’t big fan of whole wheat maybe just do half all purpose and half whole wheat. To me whole wheat makes a more dense bread and it doesn’t rise quite as high but I don’t mind. I would encourage you to at least try to do at least half and see if you even notice.

Since I knew I would be putting almond butter on every slice I thought I might as well just cover the whole loaf. It might be a stretch to call this frosting but it tastes just as good as frosting loaded with powdered sugar and butter to me.

Zucchini Bread with Almond Butter Frosting

1 1/2 cups flour (whole wheat or all-purpose)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used coconut oil but any vegetable oil would be fine)

Almond Butter Frosting

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients: egg, sugar, zucchini, and oil. Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Place batter in loaf pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

To make frosting, combine almond butter, vanilla, and cinnamon and stir to combine. If your almond butter is very dry, heat in the microwave to 10-20 seconds to soften. Spread on zucchini bread when it is still warm from the oven.

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Be happy, be healthy!

Sprouted Bread – a quick explanation

February 24, 2015 by 2 Comments

Have you heard of sprouted bread? It used to only be found in health food stores but is popping up more and more in mainstream grocery stores nowadays. Sprouted bread is made from sprouted grains which are touted to have added health benefits. The most popular brand that I have tried is Food for Life Ezekiel bread. You can find this at most big grocery stores (sometimes it is in the freezer section). Ezekiel bread originates from a Bible verse:

“Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and put them in one vessel…” Ezekiel 4:9

More information found here: Food for Life website

So what makes sprouted grains superior? Sprouted grains are seeds that have begun the germination process or in other words they have started their journey of becoming a plant. It is believed that sprouted grains have more antioxidants and polyphenols (antioxidants that are also found in grape skins, tea, and pomegranates) than regular seeds. It is also thought that since sprouted grains are closer to a plant in nature are digested more slowly than typical processed grains. Plus sprouted bread typically does not contain any processed flour which may have less of an effect on blood sugar which is commonly described as ‘low glycemic’.

I wasn’t able to find any hard and fast research confirming these theories but I do think they make sense. If anything, most sprouted grain breads are going to be lower in sugar and high in fiber which is always a bonus.

Ingredient List from Food for Life Ezekiel 4.9 Sprouted Whole Grain Bread

It is best to keep sprouted bread in the fridge or freezer since there are not any preservatives to keep it shelf stable for very long. It is a very wheaty hearty bread but not in an overpowering bad way. My favorite way to enjoy sprouted bread is toasted with almond butter. (But then again I love anything with almond butter. :))

Be Happy, Be Healthy!