Peanut Butter Bread

I found this recipe in the “Reader's Digest Secrets of Better Cooking 1973” that Bonnie let me borrow; her son had picked it up at a sale for her.  The day I made it Bonnie and Don dropped by in the afternoon after it went into the oven.  We debated how good it would be without an egg to “hold it together”…we cut a slice for each of us while it was still warm and it was not crumbly at all.  It was even better after being wrapped and chilled in the refrigerator overnight…easier to cut, and the peanut butter taste was more pronounced.  I like to bake quick breads in a 4” x 12” loaf pan that is only 3” wide at the bottom…it makes smaller slices and bakes a little more quickly.

For good success with quick breads, do chill it before slicing, and only grease your loaf pan on the bottom and 1” up the sides to avoid the “dreaded hard shoulders” and get prettier slices.  I use parchment and grease it the same as the pan, so I can just lift the loaf out.

This is tasty and nutritious, and makes good sandwiches.  Perfect with jelly too!

 Peanut Bread

  3               cups  flour, all-purpose -- 13 ounces

  6          teaspoons  baking powder

  2          teaspoons  salt

  6        tablespoons  sugar

     2/3           cup  instant dry milk -- 2 ounces

     1/2           cup  peanut butter

     3/4           cup  peanuts, dry-roasted unsalted -- no skins, chopped (3 ounces)

  1 1/2           cups  water

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl.  Stir in the skim milk powder, then the peanut butter and peanuts.  Add water and stir just until dough is mixed.

Spoon into a prepared 9 x 5 x 3" loaf pan and smooth the top.  (I used a 4" x 12" pan; greased bottom and sides 1" up from the bottom, lined with parchment greased the same as the pan.)

Bake in a preheated 350° F. oven for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, until bread tests done.  (I covered mine with a piece of parchment after about 20 minutes to keep it from getting too brown.)

Cool before slicing.

2015 Cost:  $2.38 per loaf or 11¢ per slice

Yield:  "1 loaf"

Per Serving: 153 Calories; 6g Fat (32.4% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 375mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.