Mint Nut Bread

 In the current issue, you'll find several delicious breads for entertaining, and I decided to give one a shot.  After putting together the food and beverage chapter for Through the Seasons, it seems like we should be doing a LOT more cooking around here!

Cooling - smells incredible!

So I should mention that we did not have any applesauce in the house, but we did have some frozen persimmon pulp.  Since the persimmons are just perfect for gathering right now (after a deep freeze over the last few days), I decided to use some of the frozen stuff, giving me a good excuse to go gather more.  Also, it turns out that Molly hasn't really had much experience with persimmons, and that needs to be remedied since there are 2 trees out back!  I'll try it again with applesauce, but just so you know, it is delicious made with persimmon, too.

It is just as good as it looks.  Dense, moist, and full of flavor.

So here's a little excerpt from the article...

From the article:
Unique Holiday Season Recipes
by Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh
www.backyardpatch.blogspot.com

I love quick breads.  No raise time to worry about and you can blend in just about any combination of herbs to craft an infinite number of flavors.  I make mixes for herb breads for the holiday season at the Backyard Patch, and this one is among my favorites. This bread is actually better the second day after baked.  It also freezes well.
Mint Nut Breads
2 cups unbleached flour.
¾ cup brown sugar
1 Tbls. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 cup nut meats (walnut, pecans, and such)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup applesauce
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 to 2 Tbls. mint, crumbled dry (to taste)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and nuts in a large bowl.  Combine mint, egg, applesauce and oil, then add liquid to flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into two-greased loaf pan (8 x4 x 2 inches.)  Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.