I had three very ripe bananas to use up so I was looking around for a banana bread recipe that did not call for a lot of sugar or butter. I found an amazing looking recipe on King Arthur Flour's website for Banana Pina Colada Muffins (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/banana-pia-colada-muffins-recipe). These muffins were beautiful; banana batter studded with dried pineapple chunks, topped off with a delightful shredded coconut crown. My only problem was I didn't have any butter so I kept searching until I found a recipe for Island Banana Bread on Vegetarian Times website (http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9044?section=). This one is vegan but I decided to alter it to suit my tastes. The following recipe is a fusion of the two differen recipes into my own very own Island Banana Bread:

Ingredients

2 c. White Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 c. Soy Flour

2 tbsp. Dried Buttermilk Powder

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1 c. Diced Dried Pineapple (or other dried fruit: dates, apricots, etc.)

1/2 c. Raisin Puree (or prune puree)

1 1/2 c. Mashed Ripe Bananas

1/2 c. Packed Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Rum

3/4 c. Orange Juice

1/3 c. Shredded Coconut

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9x5" loaf pan with canola oil.

2. Combine & set aside: white whole wheat flour, soy flour, dried buttermilk powder, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and nutmeg.

3. Mash together raisin puree and bananas.

4. Beat in: brown sugar, eggs, rum, and orange juice.

5. Stir in flour mixture all at once, stirring gently to combine.

6. Fold in pineapple.

7. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle with shredded coconut, pressing it down gently into the batter.

8. Bake til knife inserted into the center comes out clean (about an hour).

The result was a beautiful banana loaf, laden with sweet bits of tender pineapple and decorated with a toasty coconut crust.

Posted on EvilShenanigans.com on 6/19/09

Is there anything more comforting than the smell of warm cinnamon rolls?  If there is, I can't think of it right now.

While I love the traditional cinnamon roll, and believe me I do, I thought it would be fun to take my cinnamon roll dough and make it into a swirled loaf.  I tried that very thing with my regular recipe and it was a disaster.  The buttery filling left the bread wet and the eggs and fat in the dough left the center of the loaf gooey in the center.  Gooey in a bad way.  Not tasty.

So, I changed the recipe by reducing the amount of filling, the number of eggs and the fat in the dough.  The resulting bread was soft, fluffy, tender, and perfect for toasting and buttering for breakfast!

If you have any left that is past the freshness prime you can cube it up and use it in bread pudding.  I can't tell you how good that was! 

Cinnamon Roll Bread   Yield 1 10" loaf and 6 cinnamon rolls

1/3 cup water, (warmed, 110F)
2 teaspoons dry active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, warmed
1/4 cup sugar
1egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups white bread flour

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Glaze:

4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

Combine water, sugar and yeast. Allow to activate until frothy, about 10 minutes.

   In the bowl of an electric mixer with dough hook, add the yeast mixture, buttermilk, egg, melted butter, flour and salt.  Mil on second speed for three minutes, then check the hydration.  The dough should be lightly sticky but not cling to the fingers.  Adjust as necessary adding additional white flour or water. 

Mix on medium high speed for eight minutes, then remove from the bowl and round the dough, making it into a smooth round ball.   Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover.  Allow to rise until the dough doubles in volume, about 60 to 90 minutes.

While the dough rises prepare the filling by mixing the butter, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.  Cover and set aside.

Once risen, remove the dough from the bowl and, on a well floured board, press out the air with the palm of your hand.  Stretch the dough until it is the size of a half sheet pan (18″ x 15″).  Spread the filling evenly over the dough then, starting on the short side, carefully roll the dough into a log. 

Measure the dough to 9 1/2″ and cut it.  Place into a greased 10" loaf pan.  Slice the remaining dough into six pieces and pace into a greased 9″ cake pan.   

Cover with greased plastic and allow to rise for 40 minutes, or until the dough is doubled, about an hour. 

Preheat oven to 375F while bread rises.

Bake the loaf for 45 minutes or until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.   The rolls bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and the bread is pulling away from the sides of the pan.

While the rolls cool prepare the icing by mixing the butter, powdered sugar, and milk until smooth.  Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled ten minutes cover them with as much icing as desired.  

Eat warm.  

Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.  Wait at least an hour before slicing.

I have an unusual question but know that someone here will have the answer or good suggestion. 

I would like to use Buttermilk in my bread recipes instead of milk when called for... Since I will most likely not use the whole carton of milk, can Buttermilk be frozen in small, let's say, 1/2 cup quantities without ruining the Buttermilk or flavor? 

My idea is to freeze 1/2 cup Buttermilk(ice)cubes then when I need Buttermilk in a recipe, just remove what I need from the freezer and let thaw.  Does this sound like a good idea?.. 

... OR...

Would it better to use Powdered Buttermilk in my recipes instead of freezing Buttermilk?  I've never used powdered Buttermilk, but have used dried powdered milk in my recipes.

What does anyone think, am I onto something here or am I just on something?  :)

Dennis

I wouldn't think so. I'm going to make a whole wheat sandwich bread and I want to try it with buttermilk. Would I use the same amount of buttermilk as I would water for a dough with 65% hydration. I think I would need more.

Larry

Hi. I've just purchased Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf and am dying to try his leaven recipe. However he uses yoghurt and we can't have dairy in my house (alas), so I was wondering if anyone could recommend a substitution.

Also, a lot of his recipes include milk or buttermilk as well as butter. Any suggestions how to handle this?

Thanks!

Bettina

Since the breads I made most recently were both sourdough ryes, I was looking for something different this time around that would work well for sandwiches. My first inclination was to haul out an old favorite, a honey whole wheat bread. While flipping through Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, I happened across a buttermilk whole wheat recipe that I had not tried previously. Since I had all of the necessary materials on hand, I thought that I would give it a try. The recipe follows [with my notes]. I'll also include additional comments at the end