Friday, December 5, 2014

Foodie Friday: Pistachio Bread

So because I have so much extra time to bake lately, I thought I would include a Foodie Friday post for you lovely people.

When we were on vacation, back in October (was that REALLY almost 2 months ago?!?), at The Indigo Inn (you surely recall my trip down memory lane about Larry, right?), we had fabulous breakfasts.

Fabulous, I tell you.

My mouth is watering as I type. Don’t judge.

But…one thing none of us had previously encountered was a quick bread that was bright green.

I am talking GREEN.

But it was ah-mazing. I can’t even tell you what was so wonderful about it but it was divine.

Insert watering mouth again.

When I got home, I Googled it and found it…it was pistachio bread. And please don’t ask me HOW I Googled it b/c just now (for purely journalistic reasons…I like to be full-service, you know) I wanted to be able to report to my adoring fans exactly WHAT I Googled…but now I can’t find it.

Trust me…that was it.

So there were actually MANY recipes for it (which were actually, basically variations on a theme), but I went with the one on the Betty Crocker website.  Odd, right? Nope…they are all based on a cake mix.

So while this technically may be a cake, we are calling it a “bread”…which means we are free to eat it for breakfast or a snack with no major caloric ramifications.

Don’t quote me on that last part, as I may be mistaken…it’s what I am personally claiming, but you do what you feel is best.

Two things to note: I have not made this in loaf pans as the recipe instructs…I actually used a bunt pan (which the spelling on that looks incorrect…I want to put a “d” in there: “bundt” pan. But I get a red squiggly line under it, so clearly I am mistaken…

But I still maintain that it is NOT a cake.

Also note that it is NOT bright green. Far from it, in fact…I am making the presumption that a generous amount of food coloring was added to the bread at The Indigo Inn. I don’t judge their use of artificial color…but I chose not to employ it in my cake…I mean BREAD!
I have included directions for both loaf pans (it makes two loaves if using the loaf pans) and bunt pans.

So now…without further delay:

Ingredients
  • 1 yellow cake mix (I used the butter yellow but yellow would be lovely too!)
  • 1 box instant pistachio pudding (I used a small box b/c that's all I could find...and I had to go to 3 grocery stores to find it...)
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 pint sour cream (which is also 1 cup...I don't know why Betty Crocker listed it that way...just to be confusing, I guess, or making it simple for the math-impared)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup crushed walnuts or pecans (I omitted these b/c not everyone at my house would like it with nuts, but I think it would be lovely)
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon


Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease the pans (or pan singular if you're making a bunt...seems obvious but I like to point it out nonetheless)
  • Blend cake mix, pudding mix, oil, sour cream, eggs and water with a mixer until blended (I recommend on low speed).
  • In another bowl mix brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon
  • Start with a layer of the bread mixture, then sprinkle on the nut mixture, another layer of bread mixture, and at the end sprinkle the top with the nut mixture and marble it all with a knife through the batter.
  • NOTE: This does not have to be exact as far as the layers as long as you distribute it in both loaves and then marble.
  • Bake for one hour for loaves or 50 minutes for the bunt pan; or when toothpick comes clean.

I do not add a glaze or anything to it, but a nice one made of just powdered sugar and water might be nice. And maybe sprinkle some crushed pistachios on top as well? Try it and get back to me on it, ok?





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