Baking as therapy

Total stress buster - baking bread.  May be good relieving stress - but for my waistline - not so much !  So, as soon as these loaves were cool, they went directly into the freezer.  Now I'm ready for any 'refreshment emergency' that comes my way.

FYI:  vintage cookie cutters found at an antique store in Piedmont, OK. There will be sugar cookie bunnies and chickens for Easter this year - with sprinkles !



BB Bread (Basic Banana Bread)

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter (cool for 10 minutes)

1 cup sugar (can be reduced to 3/4 cup if desired)

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour loaf pan.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla.  Sprinkle baking soda & salt over the mixture; stir in flour mixture (and nuts) and mixm just until no more flour is visible.  Pour mixture into prepared pans and bake for 50-55 minutes.  Cool on rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.  

Note:  If using smaller loaf pans, adjust baking times. I baked this bread in 3 of my small loaf pans and baking time was 35 minutes. 

Coconut Bread

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan.  Mix together flour, salt, baking powder & soda and set aside.  In a large pan, beat together sugar and oil.  Beat in eggs, coconut and vanilla extracts.  Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk & coconut.  Pour into prepared pans and bake for 45-505 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool on racks for 15 minutes before removing from pan. 

Note:  If using smaller loaf pans, adjust baking time.  I baked this bread in 2 of my medium loaf pans, baking time was 45 minutes.