Southern Quick Peanut Butter Raisin Bread

Southerners do eat white loaf bread from the store, but they also enjoy a host of homemade breads ranging from biscuits and corn meal muffins to sour dough bread and Sally Lunn. Quick breads like Peanut Butter Raisin Bread are especially popular, since they are rich and filling but do not take the same amount of time and effort as breads made with yeast.

The key in making breads like Peanut Butter Raisin Bread is to go light on the mixing. This holds true for breads that do not use yeast as a rising agent. If you make a yeast based bread, you knead and knead and knead. Quick breads like this one should be only lightly mixed when you get to the flour stage. If you overdo the mixing, quick breads will be tough. You can mix the wet ingredients up really well, but when you add the flours and rising agent (baking soda in this case), just mix until everything is evenly mixed together and stop.

Peanut Butter Raisin Bread is a heavy and hearty bread that tastes very close to cake but with less sugar and also with more wholesome ingredients. It does include sugar and some white flour, but overall this is a healthier alternative to many Southern quick breads.

Peanut Butter Raisin Bread Recipe

• ¾ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup raw carrots sliced (or can use one cup applesauce)
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cream the peanut butter, brown sugar, molasses and eggs in a large bowl. Mix well until creamy.
2. Place carrots and water in a blender or food processor and whirl until you have a chunky mixture (kind of like baby food). Or, you can use applesauce in place of the carrots and water. In either case, measure after the blending or from the can – just one cup of the soft mixture – carrots or applesauce.
3. Mix the carrot mixture of applesauce in with the peanut butter mixture.
4. Sift or stir well the flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
5. Add the flour mixture to the main bowl of ingredients.
6. Mix until blended but do not overdo the mixing, or the bread will be rubbery and tough.
7. Grease a bread loaf pan (9 x 5 inches with 3 inch high sides) and pour in bread mixture. You may need to spread it a bit with a spoon or take the pan and shake lightly to get the loaf even.
8. Bake at 325 degrees F in preheated oven for an hour or until done. You can check for doneness with a toothpick. Stick it in. It should come out clean when the bread is done. The loaf should also be lightly browned.

Other Favorite Southern Quick Bread Recipes: Southern Corn Bread - Forget the cornbread mixes. If you use self rising cornmeal, you can make scratch cornbread just as fast, and it tastes better too.

Blueberry Nut Bread - Blueberry bread has been popular for years for a reason. Bread with blueberries is very tasty. It's also easy to make.

Bisquick Sausage Balls (flour, sausage, and cheese) - This is a real classic recipe served often over the holidays in the South but delicious any time of the year.

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