Christmas Breads - the sweet kind

[AlaskaChick]

I see a lot about food gifts and lists of cookies but what I don't see is anyone making sweet breads. In years past I would spend a couple weekends baking cookies, making candy and baking sweet breads. I've cut back slowly, doing less and less until I was down to just a few cookies but hubby whined incessantly about the breads. He wanted to go back to having all those loaves around and finally agreed he would help if I'd do it. So after a night of baking wenow have 26 minature loaves of bread which include:

From one basic recipe with variations:
Vanilla Bourbon
Brown Sugar Pecan
Espresso Chip
Marble Spice

From family recipes:
Zucchini
Orange
Applesauce
Pumpkin

It will take work to pry his fingers from them enough to give away for gifts but after all this, I wonder - does anyone make these kinds of breads these days?

[NYCkaren]

I like quick breads. Yours all sound good. But I made a yeast bread _ panettone _ over the weekend for the first time. Smelled good. I haven't eaten any since they're for gifts.

[RJJR]

I have made a Strawberry nut bread for years that I had found in a Southern Living cookbook in the early 80"s I believe. Frozen strawberries, pecans and cinnamon, it is delicious ! have the recipe at home if anyone would like it. I can post later, I am now at work

[AlaskaChick]

I would love that recipe - have you made it with other berries? It reminds me that I had one somewhere for marionberry bread - must dig for that.

[RJJR]

Alaska Chick, I have always made it witrh store brand frozen strawberries. I will post it this afternoon after I make some more to bring into work. I did not log on this weekend so I did not see your reply. I will send it out this afternoon.

[RJJR]

Strawberry Bread (From Southern Living Annual Recipes 1984)

3 Cups AP flour
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups of sugar
2 10 ounce packages frozen strawberries
1 Cup chopped pecans

Combine first 4 ingredients; set aside. Combine oil, eggs and sugar in a large bowl of an electric mixer; mix well. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, stirring just until all ingredients are moistened. Stir in strawberries and pecans.

Spoon mixture into 2 greased and floured 9" x 5" loaf pans. Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.

[chowser]

I make a lot of quick breads. Michaels' craft stores has these little Christmas stoneware loafs that are perfect for gifts and only $1 each. I'd love your recipe for the vanilla bourbon bread, if you can share.

[AlaskaChick]

I'll grab that recipe when I am at my house - I got it from some magazine years ago. Thanks for your tip about the stoneware loafs - we don't have a Michaels here but I can get to one and for a dollar, that's not too much more than I'm paying for the disposable kind. JoAnns has little holiday treat bags that fit mini loaves perfectly and they were $1 at 1/2 price for 20 of them.

[chowser]

I think I found it online so if this is it, you can save yourself some time. Thanks for the offer.

http://dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/f...

[AlaskaChick]

Slightly different but close enough. I like to sprinkle stuff on top too!

[marthadumptruck]

My sister bakes pumpkin breads in the fall to give as gifts.

These breads that you've made: are they quick breads, yeast breads or a combo? Vanilla bourbon sounds fantastic!

[AlaskaChick]

They are all quick breads. The Vanilla Bourbon is the base recipe and you build on them from there. Basically, its a mix of flour, sugar, BP, salt put into a mix of heavy cream, eggs, vanilla and bourbon.