Fall in the kitchen: part two of three

While the chicken & wild rice soup was cooking, I made a double batch of delicious Banapple-Pecan bread. The recipe was born when I didn’t have enough bananas for banana-nut bread, but had a spare Gala apple just begging for a higher purpose. And what higher calling is there than bread?!

Hello, beautiful.

Bread is my second favorite thing to make, behind pie. But it’s my favorite thing to eat. Especially warm with butter. Hot chocolate doesn’t hurt either. (The portmanteau just sends me over the top.)

Lordy, I want to write more — some lovely prose about the delights of bread, but I keep starting at the picture. The golden brown crust. The spongy middle. And I keep thinking of the flavor — not overpoweringly banana-y, with the mildly nutty pecan, and sweet apple here and there, and just the slightest hint of cinnamon. But the pecans are soft, and the apple isn’t too crispy, nor too mealy, keeping the texture relatively consistent, with just a bit of variety for fun. Moist, but not gooey. Soft, but not crumbly. I LOVE YOU, BANAPPLE-NUT BREAD! Marry me. Better yet, be my breakfast.

Make your own, I highly recommend it. The recipe? The recipe is modified from Betty Crocker’s Banana-Nut bread so start there. Then do the following:

• Reduce bananas used to 2 medium (~3/4 to 1 cup mashed)
• Add one medium Gala apple, peeled, cored and diced (~1/4-inch pieces); I smashed the pieces up a bit with the bananas
• Add 1 tsp cinnamon to batter

Heaven is just a loaf pan (or two) away.