Cider Honey Quick Loaf #BreadBakers

This rich cider honey quick loaf is naturally sweetened by the cider and the honey. It’s especially delicious toasted.

This month my Bread Bakers are creating sweet breads without refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Our host Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni limited us to natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, blackstrap molasses, dates, banana puree, coconut sugar, balsamic glaze, brown sugar syrup, real fruit jam made without any sugar, stevia or palm jaggery. Further, she said NO SUGAR - white, brown, demerara, turbinado, muscovado, etc- . to be used in the bake.

Trying to use what I have on hand, I decided that honey was the way to go. I’m in the Channel Islands right now so I am also fortunate to have ready access to alcohol, unlike at home in Dubai where one must have a license to purchase (and mine has expired.) The first thing we buy is some traditional English cider, often called hard cider in the United States. It's tart and dry with a little sweetness.

Ingredients
3 cups or 375g flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons honey
12 oz or 355ml cider, at room temperature
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another smaller bowl, add the honey to half of the melted butter.

Pour in the cider and mix well.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed.

Pour half of the remaining melted butter into the loaf pan.

Spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Jersey butter comes by its color naturally, from the beta-carotene in the grass the cows eat.

Use a pastry brush to spread it around.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking until done.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then turn the loaf out on to a wire rack to cool.

Slice and enjoy!

Check out all the wonderful naturally sweetened breads we have for you today! Many thanks to Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni for hosting.

• Blackberries and Honey Bread by Kidsandchic
• Cheddar Honey Flowers by Ambrosia
• Cider Honey Quick Loaf by Food Lust People Love
• Date and Chai Muffins by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Date Sweetened Banana Bread by Herbivore Cucina
• Eggless Banana Chocochip Bread with Cranberries and Coconut Sugar by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Eggless Carrot Coconut Quick Bread by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Eggless Wholewheat Maple Banana Oat Muffins by Spill the Spices
• Einkorn Drop Biscuits with Peaches and Blueberries by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• English Granary-Style No Knead Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Grape Bread by The Bread She Bakes
• Healthy Banana & Blueberry Bread by Baking in Pyjamas
• Honey Almond Banana Muffins by Baking Yummies
• Honey Cornbread by Magnolia Days
• Honey Oat Pain de Mie by Hostess At Heart
• Honey Pineapple Pull-Apart Rolls by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Jackfruit Honey Bread by The Schizo Chef
• Jackfruit Semolina Muffins with Jaggery by My Cooking Journey
• Mangalore Buns by Sneha's Recipe
• Maple Bacon Cheddar & Pickle Pull-Apart Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Maple Pecan Scones by Cook's Hideout
• Maple Oatmeal Bread by A Baker's House
• Pain au Levain avec Banane by What Smells So Good?
• Tangerine Honey White Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Lapin au Cidre – Cider Braised Rabbit

Lapin au cidre is a specialty from Normandy and, as in most of the Norman dishes, apple and cream feature prominently. The dual apple role is played here by calvados, an apple brandy, supported by a dry alcoholic apple cider. The addition of sour cream or crème fraîche creates a luscious sauce you’ll want to eat with a spoon. 

On the Hunt for deliciousness
As I mentioned in my preview post,  I am hosting Sunday Supper this week with my talented friend, Tara, from Noshing with the Nolands. Our theme is On the Hunt, so we are sharing recipes with ingredients that are hunted or foraged, including wild game like venison, boar and rabbit or vegetarian options like mushrooms, truffles, wild berries or even edible wildflowers and greens. And to make sure that our urban members could also take part, the recipes can even include a special ingredient that you have to source online or hunt down at specialty markets!

I grew up with a father and uncles and cousins who loved to hunt so game wasn’t unusual fare but if you didn’t hunt for it, you didn’t eat it. When we were living in Paris though, many moons ago, it was fun to go to the market or grocery store and see frogs’ legs right along side the chicken and rabbit as prominently displayed as the beef. The rabbits were either whole, minus the heads, or more commonly, only the thigh/leg pieces were offered. Those are what I tended to buy. We called them bunny haunches and I’d sing “Little Bunny Fufu” as they simmered. I know, I know, I have a perverse sense of humor. A thousand years as a Girl Scout will do that to you.

One day I opened my mailbox to find a big promotional envelope inviting me to join a recipe club. For a number of francs that escapes me now, I could get recipe cards by mail each month. The envelope contained sample cards, which I was free to keep even if I didn’t join. We never know how long we’ll live any place, so I didn’t sign up but I have used the sample cards many times through the years.

The reverse has the recipe and says in tiny letters: Cette fiche extraite de la collection Mes Recettes Préférées est un échantillon. 

Or This record extracted from the collection My Favorite Recipes is a sample.

Ingredients
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
3 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 rabbit thigh and legs (Mine weighed about 2lb 10 oz or 1.2 kg)
1/3 cup or 80ml calvados (Substitute cognac if you don’t have calvados.)
1 cup or 240ml dry apple cider (I used Strongbow Original which is still available in Dubai.)
1/2 cup or about 125g crème fraîche or thick sour cream
Several sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To serve: Good handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method
Peel the carrots, shallots and the garlic. Chop them finely, along with the celery.

Heat the butter and oil in pan large enough to fit all of the rabbit pieces in one layer without too much crowding.

Brown the rabbit pieces on both sides in the pan. Once they are browned, add the vegetables. Don't forget the shallots like I did. I added them later, after the calvados. You add them now, okay?

Fry them for a few minutes and then add the calvados. You are supposed to flame it at this point but I couldn’t get mine to light for a photo.

Add in the cider and season with salt and pepper.

Add in the thyme and bay leaves. Cover the pot and cook over a low flame for about 50-60 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time, add in the crème fraiche and mix well.

Cook for a few more minutes with the lid off so that the sauce can reduce in volume and thicken slightly.

Taste the sauce and add more salt or pepper if needed. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and sing a round of "Little Bunny Fufu" to serve.

Enjoy!

Have a look at all the fabulous On the Hunt recipes my Sunday Supper friends are sharing today! And scroll down for details on how to join us for the Twitter chat this evening that Tara will be hosting.

Spread it on Thick

• Homemade Mascarpone from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sugar Plum Fairy Jam from What Smells So Good?
• Porcini Compound Butter from Nosh My Way

Nibbles and Sides

• Baked Rice with Mushrooms from Basic N Delicious
• Brie Blackberry Bites from Family Foodie
• Foie Gras Bites from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Miso Risotto from Crazy Foodie Stunts

The Main Event

• Bourbon Butter Venison Bites from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Fennel Frond Pappardelle with Rabbit, Muscat, and Cream from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Korean-style Tripe from kimchi MOM
• Lapin au Cidre - Cider Braised Rabbit from Food Lust People Love
• Maple Bison Blueberry Burgers from Noshing With The Nolands
• Rabbit Braised with Kalamata Olives and Prunes from The Texan New Yorker
• Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet from Nik Snacks
• Wild Venison Sausage Gravy from A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Turkey, Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Wild Boar Pacific Rim Sliders from Peaceful Cooking

Sweet Treats

• Blueberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce from From the Bookshelf
• German Fruit and Nut Bars from Magnolia Days
• Grilled Bananas/Toast Topped with Chocolate and Cheese from Brunch with Joy
• Lemon Blueberry Scones from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Raspberry Muffins from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow from Pies and Plots
• Ultimate Chewy Brownies from The Perfect Brownie
• Vanilla Poached Tamarillos from Manu's Menu
• Wild Blackberry Scones with Lemon Glaze from The Foodie Army Wife
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Topped Waffles from NinjaBaker.com