Cinnamon Basil Peach Bread

The peaches are here!  There’s nothing quite like a sweet, tree ripened, juicy Ontario peach and even sweeter by the basket.

The good news is that the crop is early by two weeks the bad being that they will probably be gone two weeks early.

I can always remember a peach tree in the back yard of each house we lived in as kids.  When my husband and I bought our first house I was excited at the sight of a Macintosh apple tree in the back yard but even more excited to eventually plant a pear and peach tree.

Unfortunately we had to leave them behind upon moving. We said our goodbye’s to the peach tree many years before since it had a much shorter life span and only lasted several years.
Those years however were filled with baskets of sweet fragrant fruit which made their way into many pies and jam jars.  The last crop from this tree was abundant and I was able to preserve a good amount in light syrup. The vision of peach filled mason jars lined up on the pantry shelf remains with me to this day.

My favourite way of enjoying peaches is in season and straight from the basket since we no longer have a tree to pick them from.

But how can I let the season go by without baking a few peach pies and making at least one batch of jam, maybe some peach ice cream, a peach crisp or even a delicious batch of Peach Shortcake Muffins?  On the other hand how can I not try a few new recipes and add them to my collection?

If you like a quick bread that is flavourful but not too sweet you might want to join me and give this new recipe a try. Of course a few adjustments have been made to the original recipe which seem to have worked out very well.

Cinnamon Basil from the garden made its debut in this tasty loaf and who could have guessed that peaches and cinnamon get along so well together.   A pinch of cinnamon will certainly be making its way into my next peach pie.

Peach season should be enjoyed to the fullest because once over it will be an entire year before eating a peach becomes a worthwhile endeavor!


Cinnamon Basil Peach Bread

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh cinnamon basil
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup mashed fresh peaches (about 3 medium peaches, ( remove pits and skin)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Place milk, oil, egg, brown sugar in blender and blend together.
4. Add the mashed peaches and pulse a few times to mix in.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients plus the chopped cinnamon basil.
6. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened then fold in nuts if using.
7. Pour mixture into 3 greased and floured loaf pans (5 1/2x3x2 inches) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Cool pans on racks for 10 minutes then remove bread from pans cool completely on racks.

 






Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• The disposable aluminum loaf pans work very well for this recipe. Place them on a cookie sheet before placing in the oven.
• If you don’t have Cinnamon Basil just increase ground cinnamon from ¾ to 1 teaspoon.
• I didn’t add nuts but chopped pecans would be a good choice.
• Loaves freeze very well.

 Just Peachy

Couldn't resist the opportunity to preserve the wonderful flavour of this year's peaches, I still had a few jars from last year so I stopped after making one batch.
If you haven't tried making home made jam yet you're missing out on a sweet treat.  The ability to read and follow directions is all that is required.
There are a couple of fruit pectin brands in liquid or powder form on the market that take the time and guess work out of preparing jars of homemade goodness.
Once you have organized all the tools and ingredients needed and become familiar with the recipe found in the box of pectin the actual making of jam takes very little effort and is actually the fun part!