What’s Cookin’?
By Donna Zitter Bordelon
With Thanksgiving almost here, and Christmas not far behind, a few quick breads to serve, to bring to a holiday dinner, or to give as gifts are a good idea.
The following recipe is really a quick bread, but you will have to dirty a few bowls. Worth it!
SWEET POTATO BREAD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans, then line them with wax paper or parchment paper (trim paper to fit the top of pan), and grease the paper.
1 stick butter
½ cup yogurt
½ cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1½ cups chopped pecans, divided
In a small saucepan, combine butter, yogurt, honey and cinnamon. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup pecans. Allow mixture to cool. Set butter/honey mixture aside.
2 cups grated raw sweet potatoes
Mix the remaining one-half cup pecans with the grated sweet potatoes.
Set sweet potatoes/pecan mixture aside.
1 cup canola oil
¾ cup water
4 eggs, beaten
In a small bowl, mix the oil, water and eggs. Set liquid mixture aside.
3½ cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Add the sweet potatoes/pecan mixture to the flour mixture in the large bowl.
Add liquid mixture to large bowl, and blend just to moisten.
Place 1 cup of batter into each pan. Top each with ½ cup of cooled butter/honey mixture.
Cover with another cup of batter, then another ½ cup of butter/honey mixture.
Finish with remaining batter.
Bake for 65–75 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.
Remove bread from pan and cool slightly, then remove wax or parchment paper.
Bread keeps moist for a few days and freezes well.
Here’s a savory bread that complements the turkey soup recipe in next week’s column.
ROSEMARY-OLIVE BREAD
1 cup onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. oil
½ cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1½ sticks cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1¼ cup milk
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped, or 2 tsp. dried
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. flour for dusting
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease a 9-inch round pan.
In a small skillet, saute onion over medium-low heat until soft, about 6–7 minutes. Stir occasionally so onion does not brown.
Add garlic and olives and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs using 2 knives in a scissor fashion, or use your hands.
Stir in milk, rosemary, pepper and onion mixture until all is just evenly moistened.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and with floured hands, shape into a ball. Cut an “x” ¼-inch deep on top and dust with the flour.
Bake 50 minutes.
Eat well, live long, enjoy!
(Questions or tips can be sent to Donna Zitter Bordelon at WhatscookinNEPhilly@gmail.com or in care of the Times, 2 Executive Campus, Suite 400, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002)
