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By Request
Betty Shimabukuro
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Quick bread truly shines with pine
Why don't we bake more pineapple bread? Given our history with the fruit, you'd think local cookbooks would be full of recipes - but, no.
Banana bread and mango bread are our quick breads of choice, but pineapple really deserves a shot. For one thing, it's extremely simple. Buy a can of crushed pine, open it and dump it in the mixing bowl. It's quicker even than peeling and mashing a banana and definitely easier than peeling and slicing a mango.
This came to mind while researching Gladys Red's request for a moist pineapple bread. I started opening local cookbooks and coming up blank, until one recipe turned up in the benefit cookbook "The Tastes and Tales of Moiliili." An Internet search later turned up several recipes for pineapple-carrot bread, the carrots helping to keep the bread moist, but not making it taste like bunny food. (The only drawback is that the time spent grating carrots takes away from the ease of simply opening a can of pineapple.)
The great thing about quick breads is that most recipes are very forgiving. If you don't have the size of pan called for in the recipe, using a size bigger or smaller is usually OK. If you don't like nuts, leave them out. If you want a stronger pineapple flavor, add more, cut in chunks.
I baked up both these recipes and both are winners - not too sweet or pineappley, but moist and wholesome. Take your pick.
Pineapple Nut Bread
"The Tastes and Tales of Moi'li'ili" Moi'li'ili Community Center (Mutual Publishing, 2005, $14.95)
1-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chopped macadamia or walnuts
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup crushed pineapple, undrained
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-by-6-inch loaf pan.
Sift together dry ingredients. Stir in nuts.
Cream brown sugar, butter and eggs. Stir in dry ingredients (mixture will be dry); fold in pineapple. Pour into loaf pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over loaf. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.
Carrot Pineapple Bread
Adapted from
www.thatsmyhome.com
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 8-by-4-inch loaf pans.
Beat together eggs, sugar and oil; add carrots, pineapple and vanilla.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir into carrot mixture. Divide batter between pans. Smooth top. Bake 60 to 70 minutes.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Send queries along with name and phone number to: "By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. Or send e-mail to
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com