Spelt Banana Bread #BreadBakers

This delicious spelt banana bread is made with plenty of brown sugar, ripe bananas and nutty tasting spelt flour, for a treat that tastes decadent enough for a holiday snack.

Spelt is one of the so-called ancient grains, which are supposed to be healthier than their modern counterparts. It’s not gluten-free but it is lower in gluten than normal wheat with a nutty flavor that works well in baked goods. If you like baking with spelt, you might also like to try these wonderfully fudgy brownies, coconut energy muffins or a nutty, spiced yeast bread.

You’ll notice that by weight, this banana bread is equal parts brown sugar and spelt flour. This is deliberate. The brown sugar is what pushes it into the treat category, beyond just banana bread. It’s super easy to make, using what I like to call the modified muffin method: Wet ingredients (plus sugar) in one bowl, dry in the other. Fold together and bake.

Spelt Banana Bread

The decorative sprinkle of pearl sugar is not essential but it sure does make the spelt banana bread more festive.

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas
1 cup, packed, or 200g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 120ml (4fl oz) buttermilk
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups or 200g spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional (DO IT!) to decorate: Pearl sugar

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a loaf pan (9 x 5 inch or 13 x 23cm) with baking parchment or grease it thoroughly with butter then flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash your ripe bananas with a fork. Add in the brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk and butter. Whisk thoroughly to combine.

In another small bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Tip the dry ingredients into the bigger bowl. Fold until the dry ingredients are just combined with the wet.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Those are brown sugar lumps you are seeing.

Sprinkle the top with pearl sugar, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you poke the center of the bread. If it starts to brown too much, you can cover the top with foil.

Leave to cool in the bread pan, then turn out and slice to serve.

Enjoy!

This month all of our Bread Bakers are using whole grained flours to bake our holiday breads. Many thanks to our host Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds for this great theme.

• 100% Whole Wheat Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Eggless Whole Wheat Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls from Spill the Spices
• Gingerbread and Oatmeal Bread from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Kamut Cloverleaf Rolls from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Key-Shaped Challah with Finger Millet from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Khameeri Puri from Sneha's Recipe
• Oats Whole Wheat Bread from The Mad Scientist's Kitchen
• Santa Lucia Buns from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Slovak Pasca from Ambrosia
• Spelt Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Whole Wheat Grissini from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Whole Wheat Stollen from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Wholewheat Garlic Flavoured Monkey Bread from Sizzling Tastebuds

#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.

Pin it! 

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Buttery Baked Bread Dressing

Beautifully toasted on top, this buttery baked bread dressing is the perfect accompaniment to your holiday meal. Bake it in a casserole dish or use it to stuff a bird.

In my growing up family, bread dressing was not a thing. At least, not that I remember. Being from Louisiana, we ate Cajun rice dressing and then later, when my stepfather became part of the family, cornbread dressing made an appearance because it’s what his mother served for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Her recipe included crunchy chunks of water chestnut, which did nothing to endear me to the dish. The family was so divided on the issue that my grandmother and mother graciously started making half the pan with water chestnuts and half without. I lived in fear of serving myself from the wrong side by accident so the gesture was mostly under-appreciated on my plate. It was the turnip vs. potato in vegetable soup problem all over again.

But even water chestnut haters grow up and have their own families. When I was in charge of the menu, that cornbread stuff was dropped and, in fact, I didn’t often make the rice dressing either. With only four of us eating a meal that already included three starches  - creamed potatoes, sweet potatoes and macaroni and cheese – AND a spicy Cajun corn dish - something had to give.

The family repertoire of holiday dishes remained fairly static until our elder daughter came back from university for Christmas with a new stuffing recipe she’d tried for Thanksgiving and wanted to add to our menu. It was made with white bread and flavored with poultry seasonings.

Buttery Baked Bread Dressing

Since that Christmas several years ago, Baked Bree’s Johnson Stuffing, adapted to use ingredients we can find where we live or usually have on hand (like brown bread instead of white) has become a staple.

Ingredients
1 loaf quality sandwich bread with soft crusts (about 1 lb 5 oz or 600g)
1/2 cup or 113g butter
2 onions, diced
3-4 slim stalks celery, de-stringed and diced finely – 3/4 cup or 90g
Small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (7g or about 1/4 cup)
1 cup or 180ml turkey or chicken stock (or use vegetable stock for a vegetarian-friendly dish)
2 tablespoons salt-free poultry seasoning
1/2 -1 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper, to taste

To bake: 1/4 cup or 57g melted butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish

Note: Can’t find poultry seasonings where you live? It’s a challenge in Dubai as well. Make your own following this recipe from The Kitchn.

Method
Cube the bread and set aside and put it in a large mixing bowl.

Put the butter in a large pan with the chopped onion and celery.

Melt the butter over medium heat and cook until the onions and celery are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add a good pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, along with the cayenne and poultry seasoning.

Set your oven to preheat at 350°F or 180°C and butter your favorite large casserole dish.

Pour the buttery celery and onions over the bread cubes in the mixing bowl. Use two spoons like salad tongs to toss and combine.

Sprinkle on the parsley. Add the stock and toss again to combine.

Check for seasoning and stir in more salt and pepper as needed. Depending on the saltiness of your stock, you might not need much (or any) salt.

Pour the mixture into your buttered casserole dish.

Drizzle on the melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for about half an hour or until the top is golden brown and the whole house smells of Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Enjoy!

Are you looking for a few new casserole dishes to add to your holiday menu? This is the Sunday Supper for you! Many thanks to our event manager Em for her behind the scenes work.

Breakfast Casseroles

• Apple Crumble French Toast Casserole by Pies and Plots
• Holiday Breakfast Casserole by The Freshman Cook
• Sausage Breakfast Casserole with Crescent Rolls by Sunday Supper Movement
• Christmas Chilaquiles with Eggs by Our Good Life

Classic Casseroles

• Buttery Baked Bread Dressing by Food Lust People Love
• Collard Greens Au Gratin by Soulfully Made
• French Potato Gratin by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Ham & Cheese Corn Casserole (Spoon Bread) by Palatable Pastime
• Leftover Turkey Noodle Casserole by Crickets Confections
• Lower Carb Green Bean Casserole by Positively Stacey
• Simple Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (Dairy-Free) by Bites of Wellness
• Turkey and Noodles by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Creative Casseroles

• Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Quinoa by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Cheesy Orzo Pasta Bake by Caroline’s Cooking
• Mexican Cornbread Casserole by Restless Chipotle
• Shrimp Pineapple Rice Casserole by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Make Ahead Spaghetti Western Chili Casserole by Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Pin this buttery baked bread dressing!

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Summer Tomato and Edamame Salad

The simplest of dishes, this summer tomato and edamame salad doesn’t really require a recipe with certain amounts that must be followed, although I’ll give you mine below. The important thing is to use the best summer tomatoes you can find – homegrown, if possible, vine-ripened, full of flavor – drizzled with the best quality extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

That combination, along with a sprinkling of shelled edamame, makes this a fabulous fresh salad full of the flavors of summer. Sometimes the simplest salads are the best.

Another tasty recipe for Salad Month
Edamame is one of those ingredients I keep on hand always, in the freezer, for times when I need a little something extra in a salad or soup. Not only are they a lovely green color but they are nutritionally rich, with vitamins, protein and fiber. You can buy them in the pods, which make for a great snack, or already peeled.

Summer Tomato and Edamame Salad

Ingredients
4-5 ripe summer tomatoes
Flakey sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup or 50g shelled edamame
1/2 small onion, minced
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Good quality balsamic vinegar

Method
Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a big plate. Season with the sea salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle on the minced onions and edamame. Drizzle the lot with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Seriously, that’s all there is to it. This summer tomato and edamame salad lets the tomatoes shine, with an added boost of protein and fiber from the legumes. Totally delicious AND healthy.

Enjoy!

Have I convinced you to join me for Salad Month? Here are a few of my other recipes you might like to try:

• Summertime Fresh Corn Salad 
• Sweet Potato French Bean Lentil Salad 
• Quick Pickled Beet Salad 
• Coronation Chicken Salad 
• Roasted Savoy Cabbage Slaw with Spicy Bacon Dressing 

Pin it! 

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Screwmosa Cocktails

Add a little oomph to your next brunch by serving screwmosa cocktails, the delightful offspring of a screwdriver and a mimosa. That’s right orange juice, vodka and sparkling wine!

Screwmosa cocktails should come with a warning, so here it is. These go down toooooooo easy. The bright fresh orange juice tastes like pure sunshine. The sparkling wine tickles your nose and tongue, a party in your mouth. You won’t really taste the vodka, but don’t forget it’s in there!

Screwmosa Cocktails

Ingredients – for 1 Screwmosa Cocktail – serve in a Champagne flute
1 oz or 30ml best quality vodka
2 oz or 60ml chilled fresh squeezed orange juice
3 oz or 90ml chilled brut sparkling wine – or more to top up the glass

Note: One 750ml bottle of sparkling wine holds enough to make eight screwmosa cocktails. To create those eight drinks you will need 8 oz (480ml) vodka and 16 oz (960ml) fresh orange juice.

Method
Add the vodka to your flute, then pour in the orange juice so they mix.

Top up with the brut sparkling wine. I used Prosecco for these but any brut sparkling wine would be delicious.

Enjoy!

This week my Sunday Supper friends are sharing easy drink recipes to celebrate summer. Many thanks to our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and our host Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. Let's get this simple cocktail recipe party started!

Classics with a Twist

• Blackberry Gin Mule by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Boozy Rootbeer Float 2 Ways by My Life Cookbook
• Frozen Banana Daiquiri by Restless Chipotle
• Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pimm’s Cup by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Spiked Arnold Palmer Cocktails by Hardly A Goddess
• St. Germain Gin and Tonic Cocktail by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Make Mine a Mocktail

• Dreamsicle Mocktail by The Freshman Cook
• Watermelon Mint Mocktail by Bites of Wellness

Simply Different

• Florida Cider Caipirinha by Gourmet Everyday
• Raspberry Lemon Blush by Our Good Life
• Screwmosa Cocktail by Food Lust People Love
• Skip and Go Naked by Positively Stacey
• Spiked Spa Water by Simple and Savory

Tasty and Tropical

• Blackberry Mojitos by The Chef Next Door
• Fresh Cherry Margaritas by The Crumby Cupcake
• Frozen Peach Margaritas by Pies and Plots
• Perfect Pina Colada by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Pineapple Margaritas by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Prickly Pear Margarita by Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Sunset Lemon Drop by Soulfully Made

Very Vino

• Boozy Watermelon Slushies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cantaloupe Wine Slushie by Family Around the Table
• Cava Sangria by Caroline’s Cooking
• Easy Red Wine Sangria with Spiced Peaches by Cricket’s Confections
• Pink Lemonade Sangria by Baking Sense
• Sparkling Chambord Sangria by Books n’ Cooks
• Watermelon Sangria by A Mind Full Mom

For even more inspiration check out these Simple Mixed Drinks for a Refreshing Summer by Sunday Supper Movement.

 
 

Pin these Screwmosa Cocktails! 

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Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs #FoodieExtravaganza

Pomegranate braised short ribs are tender and rich with the sweet and sour sharpness of the pomegranate molasses perfectly complementing the melt-in-your-mouth beef. You'll want to eat this sauce with a spoon!

Pomegranate molasses is nothing more than pomegranate juice cooked down until it has reduced to the point of being thick and syrupy. If you can’t find any in your local grocery store, it’s easy enough to make at home. Some brands add sugar, which is not necessarily a bad thing if they don’t add too much, but you do want to make sure that the sweet doesn’t overpower the sour. Good pomegranate molasses should have a solid sour punch.

I must confess that although it seems ubiquitous in online recipes lately, I had never heard of pomegranate molasses until just a few years ago, when we moved to Egypt. They have a fabulous dish made with chicken livers, well seasoned with ground spices and quick fried till still pink inside. Just near the end of cooking time, pomegranate molasses is added to the hot pan. It dries up quickly in the high heat and coats the chicken livers with a sticky slick of sweet and sour. Divine. And now I’ve made myself hungry for those again!

Unlike the chicken livers, pomegranate braised short ribs are cooked long and slow, in a lovely mixture of pomegranate molasses, beef stock and fresh rosemary. The succulent rib meat absorbs the flavors of the liquids and releases its own meaty juices into the resulting savory sauce. Serve this over a bed of fluffy couscous, sprinkled with extra pomegranate arils and some chopped cilantro for pop and a fresh bright finish.

Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients – to serve four
2 lbs or about 900g beef short ribs, cut in four pieces
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
13 1/4 oz or 375g small onions, peeled (see tip below) or substitute chopped onions
1 cup or 240ml beef stock
1/2 cup or 120ml pomegranate molasses
3-4 small sprigs fresh rosemary
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in short pieces

To serve:
Small bunch cilantro, chopped
Some pomegranate arils
Couscous – check out my easy instructions here.

Tip: To peel small or pearl onions, bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the onions and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain the pot and put the onions in a bowl of cold water and ice to stop the cooking process. Drain again. Cut the ends off of the onions with a sharp knife and squeeze them out of their skins.

Method
Season the short ribs liberally with the salt and pepper. Heat a large pan (that has a tight-fitting lid) over a medium high fire and sear the short ribs on all sides until lovely and golden, starting with the side with the most fat. This will render that fat, helping all of the sides to brown. (If your short ribs don't have much fat, you can add in a little canola or olive oil.)

Remove the ribs from the pan. Add the peeled onions with a splash of the beef stock and sauté them for a minute or two, loosening up the sticky stuff on the pot from the ribs.

Pour in the pomegranate molasses and stir. Put the ribs back in the pot and spoon the pomegranate molasses over them to coat.

Tuck in the rosemary sprigs and pour in the rest of the beef stock. Cover the pot and simmer until the beef short ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 hours, check the liquid level occasionally, adding a little water if necessary.

Baste the ribs with the sauce from time to time and turn them over halfway through.

Add in the carrots and cook, covered until they are tender too, about 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook the sauce down until it begins to thicken, spooning the sauce over the ribs occasionally.

Depending on how fatty your short ribs were, you might need to skim some of the fat off of the top of your sauce. If you have time, in fact, you can even chill the dish at this point, making the fat easier to remove once it is cold. If you choose this option, gently rewarm the short ribs in the sauce and continue with the next step before serving.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and pomegranate arils. Serve over couscous.

Enjoy!

This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is celebrating rib recipes. Many thanks to our host, Sneha from Sneha's Recipes for this great theme and all of the behinds-the-scenes work. Who doesn't love ribs, am I right?

• Canh Suon Khoai Tay (Vietnamese Spare Rib Soup) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chinese Spare Ribs (Slow Cooker) by Caroline's Cooking
• Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs by Food Lust People Love
• Singaporean Coffee Spare Ribs by Sneha's Recipe
• Slow Cooker Chinese Spare Ribs by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sticky Pork Ribs by Palatable Pastime

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

Pin it! 

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How to Cook Couscous + 4 Easy Recipes with Couscous

Tired of rice, potatoes and pasta? Try couscous! It's super easy to make and goes great with a variety of hot dishes. Couscous also makes a great addition to salad. Check out the gorgeous (and healthy) fish steamed on spicy couscous below.

You can find the recipe by clicking here or on the photo above.

First, let me say, that "How to Cook Couscous" is a misnomer here. Although the packaging doesn't necessarily say it, most of the couscous you can buy in a normal grocery store - and the one I use all the time - is instant couscous. Authentic Moroccan couscous takes much longer and is meant to be steamed. For instructions for that method, check out this post on The Spruce.

Instant couscous, on the other hand, takes mere minutes to make, which is why we added it to our family repertoire when we lived in Paris way back in the 1990s. It's been a favorite ever since. Those were the days of a toddler and a newborn, with a big house to keep tidy, laundry to stay on top of and grocery shopping done mostly on foot, with children in tow.

If there were ever a time when a busy parent needed instant couscous, that was it. I could cook couscous and add in a some frozen peas with the hot water (for color and nutrition!) and the toddler was happy to call that lunch. Of course, we didn't call them peas. It was Couscous with Little Green Balls, a happy, fun dish, beloved by all. Sometimes I used chicken stock in place of the water (and eliminated the salt) to add even more flavor.

Tip: If you don't use couscous very often, store it in a sealed bag your freezer. This will stop it from getting a stale or slightly rancid flavor.

Ingredients - for 4 cups of couscous
2 cups or 370g wheat couscous – medium grain
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
Just boiled water to cover - a good rule of thumb is about 1- 1 1/4 cups water for each cup of couscous. So for 2 cups of couscous, add 2 - 2 1/2 cups of water, depending on if you like it drier and fluffier or a little more moist. Either way, it should still fluff up.

Method
Put the couscous in a bowl with the salt and butter. Add enough hot - but not quite boiling - water to cover it. Give the whole thing a quick stir, then seal the top of the bowl with cling film and then drape a towel over the top and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Or laissez gonfler - leave it to swell - as the French say.

The couscous will soften and double in size. When it's done, fluff it with a fork and keep covered till needed.

Now you know how to cook couscous. Wasn't that easy?

Use it to make the steamed fish with spicy couscous pictured at the top or serve warm with the Butterflied Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon, below. All the lovely lemony drippings off the golden roasted chicken add even more flavor to the couscous on the plate.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Couscous

This Moroccan Style Lentil Chickpea Stew is also a winner served with couscous.

Moroccan Style Lentil and Chickpea Stew

Or let your couscous cool and add it to a dressed salad with pan-fried chicken and broccoli that's filling enough to be the meal!

Broccoli Chicken Couscous Salad with Radishes and Tomatoes

What are your favorite dishes to serve with couscous?

Almond Blueberry Banana Bread #BreadBakers

Almond flour is the secret ingredient that adds richness and extra flavor to this almond blueberry banana bread, making it buttery, without any butter. As a bonus to many, it's also gluten free!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about friendship and what it is that creates those bonds. Sometimes it’s a hobby or interest in common that brings us together. Other times it’s weathering a storm or difficult circumstances or even living in a challenging place at the same time. As expats in far-flung locations, we come to depend on each other, become like family, because we have no one else who understands us, who gets what we are going through.

The blogging world is like that too. I can’t compare starting my food blog with moving to places like Balikpapan, Indonesia or Macaé, Brazil, but back in 2011, typing up words and sending out a recipe for possibly no one to read and comment on felt equally as solitary at the beginning. (Six years ago this very month!)

Like moving to a new city and country, finding friends in the food blogging corner of cyberspace takes time. My first blog, started in 2007, was set to private. I didn’t see it as a way to connect with anyone but family. I told stories of our holidays and posted photos of our girls. But with the public food blog, all that changed. I was a nervous wreck the first time I actually shared a post link on Facebook with friends. What would they think? Would anyone read it? Worse, would they laugh?

My confidence grew as I made blogger friends, joined the Food Bloggers Network group on Facebook, exchanged tips and comments on cooking and recipe writing and photography and social media. I learned the meaning of foreign terms like SEO and white balance and bounce rates, including the mysterious ways of Google analytics. I began participating in themed group events, like Sunday Supper and Bundt-a-Month and Muffin Mondays.

I might never have believed it before, but my online friends, my fellow bloggers, became real friends. We chat privately, in twos and in groups. We commiserate with each other. We support each other. We laugh and we vent. We are a community drawn together by our like interests, our love of cooking, our frustration with changing social media algorithms and learning new technology, and the profound knowledge that we are understood.

________

This month my Bread Bakers group is using nut flours to bake our breads at the instigation of our host Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings. I’ve been enamored of using almond flour in baked goods since I first read Nigella Lawson’s languorous description in her How To Eat of the clementine cake she makes every Christmastime.

While the gluten free flour mix in this recipe can be easily substituted with all-purpose flour, I chose to make a gluten free recipe today to honor my friend and fellow blogger, T.R. Crumbley of Gluten Free Crumbley, one of our community who left us too soon, not even 30 years old.

As a member of the Sunday Supper, Movement, I got to know T.R. through our group events. He was a sweetheart, quick to volunteer his help, the first to crack a joke and at our annual Food Wine Conference, the life of the party. I’m so sorry that he was too sick to join us in person this year where he was honored as Bloggers' Choice Blogger of the Year. He’d have been in his element at the Strawberry Bash on Saturday night. He accepted his award by Skype so he did get to hear the cheers and applause of the crowd.

As managing editor of Sunday Supper, I corresponded from time to time with T.R. over the last year. He graciously gave me permission to expand the Weekday Supper posts that he had contributed over the years, to include the full recipe. His only request was that I let him know when I was going to republish one, so that he could be sure to share it again on social media. That was T.R. all over.

If you or someone you know eats gluten free, please check out Gluten Free Crumbley. T.R.’s family plans to keep his blog going both as a tribute and because it would be a shame to let all of his hard work go to waste. He loved to cook for family and friends. He especially loved sharing his recipes. I like to think he'd enjoy this almond blueberry banana bread. I hope he knows how much we miss him.

Ingredients
3 medium ripe bananas
1 large egg
3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
3 tablespoons or 45ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for pan if not lining with parchment
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup or 120g almond flour
1 1/4 cup or 200g gluten free bread flour blend (I used Dove Farms.)
1 1/4 cup or 120g quick cooking oats
1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup or 140g fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw first, if using frozen)

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease a 9x5in or 23 x 13cm pan or line it with baking parchment.

Use a whisk to mash your bananas in a bowl and then add in the egg, oil vanilla and milk. Whisk to combine.

In another large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add in the blueberries and stir to coat.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry and use a wooden spoon to mix well until the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined with the dry. Unlike in quick breads made with all-purpose flour, gluten free flour batters need to be completely wet before baking.

Pour the thick batter into your prepared pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature of your Almond Blueberry Banana Bread reaches 210°F or 99°C on an instant read thermometer. Cover the loaf with foil if it is getting too browned before it is cooked inside.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Do you love baking with nut flours too? You might enjoy making my White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies, Staffordshire Yeomanry Pudding, Almond Raspberry Cake or Passover Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars as well.

And check out this creative nut flour recipe list from my fellow Bread Bakers. Many thanks to our host Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings for all of her hard work behind the scenes.

• Almond Blueberry Banana Bread by Stacy at Food Lust People Love.
• Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins by Pavani at Cook's Hideout.
• Almond Flour Bread by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story.
• Almond Flour Sandwich Buns by Gayathri at Gayathri’s Cook Spot.
• Almond Pear Bread by Cindy at Cindy’s Recipes and Writings.
• Carrot Nut Bread by Mayuri at Mayuri's Jakoni
• Citrus Bread with Macadamia Nuts by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Fig and Walnut Bread by Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories.
• Fig Date Walnut Bread by Sneha at Sneha's Recipe.
• Mixed Berry Almond Loaf by Namita at Ambrosia.
• Peanut Brittle Ring Bread by Sharanya at Sara’s Tasty Buds.
• Peanut Butter Breakfast Loaf by Sue at Palatable Pastime.
• Quick Almond Bread by Kalyani at Sizzling Tastebuds.
• Whole Grain Date Walnut Bread by Sona at Spill the Spices.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Soda Bread Farls #BreadBakers

Perfect for a quick breakfast or snack with a cup of tea, soda bread farls are quick bread “baked” on a stovetop griddle, rather than an oven. They are a traditional part of the Northern Ireland breakfast known as the Ulster Fry.

The word farl is pronounced farrel and derives from the old Scots word fardel, which essentially means “a quarter.” The source of the name becomes apparent when you see to make farls you flatten dough into a circle and cut it into four pieces before cooking.

Soda Bread Farls are very similar in texture to American buttermilk biscuits or British scones. The dough comes together quickly with just flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk.

For this post, I decided to make what I call an adulterated Ulster Fry to accompany the soda bread farls. Properly, that breakfast would include the farls, of course, plus sausage, bacon, black and white pudding, fried eggs and tomatoes. Mine included sausage, black pudding, fried eggs and mushrooms. Totally delicious and perfect for a long weekend morning. We weren’t hungry again till almost suppertime!

Ingredients – for 4 farls
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml buttermilk
Lard or oil for frying (I used bacon drippings.)

Method
Measure the dry ingredient together into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. This aerates the flour and takes the place of sifting.

Pour in the buttermilk and use a firm rubber spatula to mix it in to make a soft dough.

Flour a clean work surface and scrape the dough out on to it.

Flour the top of the dough and your hands and lightly knead the dough. You may have to sprinkle on more flour to keep it from sticking to your surface. Lightly press the dough into a circle about 8 in or 20cm across and about 1/2 in or 1cm thick. Sprinkle on a little more flour and flip the circle over.

Preheat heavy based flat griddle or skillet on medium to low heat.

Flour a sharp knife and cut the dough circle into quarters.

Add a couple of teaspoons of lard (or oil) to the preheated griddle and transfer the farls to the pan when the lard is melted and hot.

Cook the farls for about 3-4 minutes on that first side, watching carefully that they don’t burn.

Add a little more lard or oil and turn the farls over. Cook them for about 10-12 minutes in total, turning regularly so that they cook evenly.

Serve with just butter and jam or as part of a big breakfast.

We loved these! The only thing I’d do differently the next time is to cut the dough circle into eighths instead of quarters, which would change the name I suppose. Don’t think about it too much. Just make them! They "bake" up nicely.

Our Bread Bakers host this month is Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. She challenged us to bake an Irish bread since, of course, St. Patrick’s Day is this week. Who knew there were so many? Check them out!

• Apple, Beer, and Cheddar Soda Bread by A Baker's House
• Blaa by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Caraway Rye Soda Bread by A Salad For All Seasons
• Carrot and Dillisk Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Cheddar and Herbs Soda Bread by Ambrosia
• Currant Drop Scones by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Egg Free Irish Raisin Tea Scones by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Four leaf Clover Rolls by Cook's Hideout
• Guinness Bread Rolls by The Bread She Bakes
• Guinness Buckwheat Bread by Baking Sense
• Irish Amber Ale Pretzels by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Irish Barmbrack by The Schizo Chef
• Irish Freckle Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Irish Freckle Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Irish Multigrain Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Irish Soda Bread by Herbivore Cucina
• Irish Soda Bread by Sneha's Recipe
• Irish Soda Bread Scones by Spill the Spices
• Irish Soda Buttermilk Bread by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Oat and Potato Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Potato Clover Leaf Rolls by Spiceroots
• Soda Bread Farls by Food Lust People Love
• Soft Wheat Irish Soda Scones with Raisins (Spotted Dog) by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Super Easy Potato Roll Recipe by Hostess At Heart

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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