Festive breads can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish

With the holidays behind us, many refrigerators and/or bread-boxes hold wonderful sweet breads to brighten the morning’s coffee or serve as dessert. If you missed out on the goodies, whip up some of your own with these timeless recipes. Toast slices for a breakfast treat or frost them for after dinner. We begin with an old classic. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Date Bread

1½ cups flour

1 teaspoon EACH baking soda and pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup EACH chopped dates and walnuts (or pecans)

¼ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

¼ cup orange juice

½ teaspoon vanilla

In medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients through salt. Stir 1 tablespoon of this mixture into the nuts and dates; set aside. In large bowl at medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin, juice and vanilla until well blended. Add remaining dry mixture to pumpkin mixture and beat a low speed till thoroughly blended. Stir in reserved nuts and dates. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Pour in batter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until lightly browned and cake tester in center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.

Note: Add a tablespoon of finely grated orange peel for an extra spark of flavor.

Tip: To emulate my gift bread, simply swirl a little melted baking chocolate through the batter before baking.

Cranberry Gingerbread

(12 servings)

3 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons EACH baking powder, cinnamon, ginger

¾ teaspoon EACH baking soda, salt, allspice

¼ teaspoon cloves

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) real unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup firm-pack dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

2½ cups cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish; dust with flour. Sift dry ingredients (flour through cloves) into medium bowl. In another, large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then molasses. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in cranberries and crystallized ginger. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until springy to touch, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan, cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without whipped cream.

If you didn’t get your ration of fruitcake this year, whip up this unique fruity pound cake – baked as loaves or in a tube or bundt pan.

Holiday Pound Cake

2 cups cane sugar

1 cup butter, softened

6 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 teaspoons lemon extract

1 cup candied pineapple

1 cup candied cherries

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Flour

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, cream sugar with butter until light. Add eggs, the flour, the extracts; mix thoroughly. In a small bowl combine fruit and nuts; dust with a little flour to keep from sticking together and toss to coat. Fold evenly into batter. Pour into a lightly greased 10-inch loaf, tube or bundt pan; bake 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack 8-10 minutes; turn out onto a plate. If desired, pierce surface of the cake with fork tines and pour rum or lemon glaze over cake. Cool before cutting.

Glaze:

¼ cup butter

1 ½ cups cane sugar

½ cup lemon juice OR rum

½ tablespoon lemon zest

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Pour over pierced cake.

Note: It’s best to let this cake rest a few hours or overnight before serving. Leave at cool room temperature wrapped in a dishtowel. You may moisten the towel with rum if you wish, covering all with a wrap of foil. Allow to stand unwrapped an hour or so before serving.

Just gotta’ have chocolate? Here’s a super old Baker’s recipe for two generously sized loaves! They’re rich as is, and great topped with ice cream, but you can frost them if you wish. We give you two luscious options.

Chocolate Nut Loaves

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon EACH baking soda, salt

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Bittersweet glaze

(optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Mix flour, soda and salt. Cream butter, gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Mix in vanilla and nuts. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pans. Bake about 60 minutes or until tester inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on racks. Top with mocha frosting (shown) and decorate as you wish, or glaze and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Bittersweet Glaze:

2 squares unsweetened chocolate; 2 tablespoons butter; dash of salt; 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar; 3 tablespoons (about) hot water.

Melt chocolate with butter in saucepan over very low heat. Stir constantly until smooth; remove from heat and add salt. Alternately add sugar and water until of spreading consistency.

Mocha Frosting:

2 tablespoons instant coffee powder; 1 ½ teaspoons warm water; 1 teaspoon vanilla; ¼ cup butter, softened; 2 cups confectioner’s sugar; 3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted, cooled; 2 eggs.

Dissolve instant coffee in the water, add vanilla. Cream butter; gradually beat in sugar, continuing until light and fluffy. Blend in coffee and chocolate. Add eggs one at a time, beating until light and fluffy each time. Makes 3 ½ cups.

Enjoy your goodies – or hold back baking till our next holiday – my favorite of all – Valentine’s Day!

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com. or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.