Desserts - Sweet Breads

Fluffy Banana Bread

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas (approx 4 bananas)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup chopped nuts

In a large bowl cream butter, sugar, and vanilla well.
Add eggs one at a time and beat well until fluffy.
Sift dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients alternatively with the bananas and sour cream to the butter mixture (small amounts at a time).
End with the dry ingredients and mix gently.
Add nuts.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour or when chopstick comes out clean when inserted.

Tips:
Sift the flour before measuring the proper amount, adding the other dry ingredients to it and sifting again altogether.
Put a little more banana to help make it soft and moist.

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Sweet Cranberry Wreath

Dough Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce*
1 (16 oz) package hot-roll mix
1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
¼ cup egg substitute or 1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp margarine or butter, softened
½ cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Icing Ingredients:
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 to 4 tsp low-fat or fat-free milk
¼ tsp vanilla

Spray two cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
Place cranberry sauce in fine strainer or sieve; stir to break up. Set aside to drain thoroughly.
In large bowl, combine contents of box and yeast packet from hot-roll mix with oats and ¼ cup sugar; mix well.
Stir in hot water, egg substitute or egg and margarine until dough pulls away from bowl.
Knead on lightly floured surface 5 minutes or until smooth. Divide dough in half.
Keep half the dough covered. Press other half into 12 by 8 inch rectangle on one cookie sheet.
Top with half of drained cranberry sauce, ¼ cup nuts and 1 tablespoon sugar to within 1 inch of edge.
Roll up, starting from long side, pinching seams and ends to seal. Bring ends together to form a ring.
With kitchen shears, cut through ring almost to center at 2-inch intervals. Make second wreath with remaining dough.
Cover both wreaths loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place 30 minutes or until nearly double in size.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover wreaths; bake 23-28 minutes or until golden brown.
Carefully remove to wire rack; cool completely.

To make icing: Combine all ingredients; mix until smooth. Spread icing over top of each wreath.

Serve wreaths warm or at room temperature.

To reheat: Microwave at high 15 to 20 seconds per serving.

Makes 2 wreaths (8 servings each).

*Gelled sauce won’t work. If you must, buy whole cranberries, cook over medium heat with a couple cups of sugar
and a little water until softened. Add sugar if too tart and cook until sugar dissolves.

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Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
2 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil

Sift dry ingredients together.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, water, pumpkin, eggs and oil. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients gradually stirring ‘till well blended.
Pour into greased loaf pans (3 medium or 2 large).
Bake at 325 for 70 minutes.

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Across the Creek at Aravaipa Farms Morning Banana Cake

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecan or walnut halves
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
3 ½ cups sugar
1 c upmashed ripe banana
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb) melted butter or margarine
1 cup buttermilk

Mix flour, pecans, cranberries, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, mix sugar, banana, vanilla, and eggs until well blended.
Add butter and buttermilk; mix well.
Add flour moisture to bowl and stir until evenly moistened.
Butter and flour-dust a nonstick 10- inch decorated tube pan.
Pour batter into pan. Bake in a 350 oven until a long wood skewer, inserted in the thickest part, comes out clean, and cake pulls from pan sides (about 1 hour).
Cool cake in pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
Lay a rack on top of pan. Holding pan and rack together, invert to release cake. Lift off pan.
Serve cake warm or cool.

Per serving: 314 ca, 40% (126 cal) from fat; 3.2 g protein; 14 g fat (6.5 g sat.) 45 g carbo (1.3 g fiber) 234 mg sodium; 48 mg chol.