Quickbreads for Daring Bakers (Strawberry Banana, & Bacon Cheddar Beer Breads)

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     The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

I love making quick breads because they are fast, easy, and can be made out of so many combinations.  When deciding what type of bread to make I immediately thought of banana bread because it’s one I make all the time.  I wanted to do a twist on it but wasn’t sure what to pair with it.  My husband made it easy for me when he brought home a flat of strawberries!  Who doesn’t like the combination of strawberries and bananas?  It was delicious.  The classic tastes of banana bread with additions of vanilla yogurt and fresh strawberries.  We enjoyed this bread for breakfast.

Strawberry Banana Bread (adapted from Joy of Baking)
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla
1 banana, mashed
1/3 c. low fat vanilla yogurt
1 c. strawberries, cut into bite sized pieces
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar.  Add in the eggs and mix well to combine.  Stir in the vanilla.

3.  Combine the mashed banana with the yogurt.  Stir the yogurt mixture into the melted butter mixture.

4.  In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

6.  Gently fold in the strawberries.  Do not over mix.

7.  Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

    After making a sweet bread I knew I wanted to make a savory one.  I’ve made several jalapeno cheddar breads recently so I didn’t want to repeat that one but I did want to make a cheese bread.  When I began making chili for dinner I thought that a cheddar beer bread would pair nicely with the chili.  When I  opened up the refrigerator to get the ingredients out some leftover bacon fell out as well.  It was a sign to put the bacon in the bread and I’m so glad I did!  The combination of beer, cheddar, and bacon was savory and perfect with chili.  I had some the next day as toast and it was just as tasty.

Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread (adapted from The Slow Roasted Italian)
3 c. all purpose flour (363 grams)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 T. granulated sugar
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (12 oz) bottle of beer
1/4 c. milk
3 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. parsley, chopped

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a bread pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Make a well in the center and add bacon, about 3/4 of the cheese, the beer, and the milk.  Mix well to combine. Stir in the parsley.

3.  Pour mixture into prepared bread pan.  Top with remaining cheese then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of butter.

4.  Bake for 30 minutes.