From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have for my entire life had a problem. I tend to speak my mind and don't couch my opinions when asked to give them. I pretty much tell it like it is, sometimes without even being asked. I'm an observer and, by nature, a fixer. I like to leave things better than I found them, sometimes without even being asked. Not much escapes my ministrations, even recipes. I have an adrenaline rush when I discover one that needs just a bit of help to make it perfect. I found one last week when I went looking for a bread made with peanut butter. It was highly rated, but didn't read quite right. I decided to browse through the comments of other readers and quickly learned that my affliction, the need to fix and comment, was shared by many. I decided to make the bread, exactly as written, to test its merits against the validity of the reader's comments. Once that was done, I planned to make it again using their suggestions. Did, did and done. The initial test confirmed that the bread was indeed dry and surprisingly flavorless. Aging didn't help much either. The second loaf, which contained more liquid and salt, was better but still not great. I decided to have a third go at it, and used a nut streusel to cover the top of the bread. That pretty much worked and I ended up with a bread I wouldn't be embarrassed to serve visitors. It was an interesting exercise that taught me an important lesson. I haven't always read the comments that come with some recipes. That will change. The first loaf was pretty much a waste that could have been avoided. The second loaf was better, but if you didn't like peanut butter going into the experiment there was nothing here that would change your mind. The version with streusel topping was good, but Bob had the best idea of all. He decided to slather his slice with cream cheese and jelly and effectively made an open faced sandwich that he liked. Interestingly, our neighbor's children loved the bread served that way. They finished their loaf in two days. If you really like peanuts you'll enjoy this bread. The original recipe for the bread can be found here. My version of the recipe appears below.
Peanut Butter Bread with Streusel Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home
Ingredients:
Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts
Bread
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1) To make the streusel: Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, butter and peanuts in a bowl. Work mixture with fingertips until mixture resembles crumbs. Set Aside.
2 ) To make bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf and set aside. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in peanut butter until crumbly. Combine egg milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Top with streusel mixture. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Turn onto a wire rack to complete cooling. Yield: 1 loaf.
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