Here she is, a fall treat about as basic as they come: pumpkin bread. I mean, it’s bread in the same way that banana bread is bread, which is to say that it’s pretty much cake that you can get away with eating for breakfast. There are about eleventy-billion versions of pumpkin bread out there. …
Quick breads
There’s a special place in my heart for loaf cakes. They’re unfussy and unassuming. They don’t demand layers and decoration and all of the foofaraw that can go along with a serious baking project. They don’t demand a special occasion. They’re suitable for dessert, portable for picnics, and a great excuse for sweet snacking. If …
Carrot cake has a tendency to veer into maximalist territory. If you let it, it can become a multi-layer affair with not just shredded carrots, but pineapple and raisins and even shredded coconut. But this simple carrot loaf cake is not like that. It is carrot cake stripped down to its essentials. This minimalist carrot …
This banana bread is, right now, my favorite take on the classic. It’s got chocolate. It’s got pecans. It’s scented with cinnamon. And best of all, it’s got a big-crumbed brown sugar streusel topping. It’s the best of banana bread and coffee cake, which, well, makes for an excellent breakfast for someone with a sweet-tooth …
Another banana bread? Yeah, I know. I just wrote about the double chocolate one last week. But this one is different. It’s more of a breakfast bread. It eschews chocolate in favor of whole grain oat flour and toasted walnuts and a more restrained use of butter and sugar. It fits a classic banana nut …
It was 70° on Saturday. Then on Sunday it turned cold and misty. And today it was colder still with a forecast for snow. It’s springtime in Chicago. A season that always seems intent on doubling back on itself a few times before it settles in for good. It’s a good day for simple comforting …