This combination is hands down *delicious*. Citrusy and moist, this bread is delicious and doesn’t have any processed sugar, (which is exactly what I was looking for since I’m doing a sugar fast. And this recipe hits the spot.) It’s delicious when first out of the oven with some butter smeared on top of it. The concept is basically like banana bread but add some orange zest and juice. It’s so moist and soft and simple. The first words out of my brother’s mouth once he tried it, were asking if I could make more of it. Branching out in cooking might be scary, but I highly recommend it. You get to experiment with so many new flavors and techniques. “I have that flavor scene from Ratatouille playing in my head as I eat this.” My brain was preoccupied with life as I made this. I was extremely grateful, therefore, that it is a simple recipe. Straightforward and nothing complicated, yet it is still a delight that pleases the senses. Not having a few of the ingredients, I had to improvise. I made my own mix of Pumpkin Pie Spice with Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, and Nutmeg. My loaf also lacks hazelnuts, but I do not consider it much of a loss considering the price of this ingredient. One could substitute in pecans or some other nut which I’m sure would make this loaf taste a lot more like fall. Anywho! All in all, this was a delightful experiment, and I will make it again sometime. This bread tastes great with butter when it’s cold outside and warm inside. Probably would be best enjoyed with tea in the other hand and a blanket around you.
Credit for this recipe goes to Rosemary Wilkinson and her book: “Desserts: mouthwatering recipes for delectable dishes”. I would highly recommend this book, there are some *delicious* recipes in here. . . as the title suggests.
“A girl can win a man with the smell of perfume, but she can’t keep him without the smell of good food.”
INGREDIENTS:
- generous 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- generous 3/4 cup AP flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground pumpkin pie spice
- 3 TB chopped hazelnuts, toasted
- 2 large ripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 2 TB sunflower oil
- 2 TB honey
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 small orange
- 4 orange slices, halved
- 2 tsp confectioners’ sugar
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Brush a 4-cup loaf pan with sunflower oil and line the bottom with waxed paper.
- Sift the flours with the baking powder and spice into a bowl.
*I’ve heard mixed opinions on sifting. Some say it is necessary, some say it isn’t. It does help to give the flour some more air, but I usually don’t sift my flour.* - Stir the hazelnuts into the dry ingredients. Peel and mash the bananas. Beat in the egg, oil, honey and orange rind and juice. Stir evenly into the dry ingredients.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
*In CO. Springs, I baked it for 40 minutes, checked it with a toothpick, and then let it bake for one more minute. Any longer would’ve burned it.*
*Don’t forget to take the wax paper off of the bottom of your bread loaf!* - Sprinkle the orange slices with the confectioners’ sugar and broil until golden. Use to decorate the cake.
*I decided to omit the orange slices on top so that the bread would keep longer. I do however think that it would be a wonderful addition.*
