this peanut butter bread is the one thing I could dine upon for the rest of my life without ever growing tired of it. no matter the amount of whole wheat flour I throw into it, it rises and rises until it looks like the biggest mushroom known to man. or to woman, more appropriately in my case.
no matter how many times I make it, I’m always shocked at how buttery and brioche-like it turns out. it’s gotta be the tastiest way to make French toast or other grilled sandwiches delights!
very easy to make, I’ve never had any bad experience with it, be it made by hand or using the bread machine. remember to look here for tips on how to make bread if you don’t have a machine, although I have included all tips in this very entry.
I decided to do it half and half this morning, meaning that for time-pressing issues, I did the first part in the bread machine, and finished it up in the oven. I think the amount/quality of the fat makes it brown up more easily than other breads, so I would consider switching the temperature to 350F, for a possible longer baking time. or you could do what I did and cover it with aluminum foil sometime during baking time or even right from the start.
by the way, I strongly recommend investing in an instant-read thermometer to make sure the temperature at the center of the bread reaches between 190F-200F. it will save you from the possible heartache of slicing into your bread only to find it remained completely doughy in the middle.
you could also choose to go the sweet tooth way and make it into buns/bread rolls, throwing a little piece of dark chocolate in its center à la matcha spelt rolls.
another variation? knead in 1/2 cup of chocolate chunks or chips when starting the process of making the bread…
or if you’re in a New York state of mind, why not go for bagels instead?
using your basic cinnamon roll like guideline, you could turn these babies into sinful little treats for breakfast. or lunch. or supper, whatever.
finally, there’s always the possibility of skipping one step in your breakfast routine and mixing the jelly directly into the bread.
if you have anything against using peanut butter, feel free to sub it in any of these recipes for tahini, almond butter, or any other nut butter you like the most.
I’m probably siding with Nick here by stating that no other nut butter will do for me: peanuts are where it’s at, no matter what kind of baked good we’re talking about.
what I did and how I did it for this one bread, and how to do it with or without the machine, to obtain a 1 1/2-pound bread, which makes about 12 slices:
1 cup + 1 T pure water
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter, I used unsalted but it works either way
2 cups white whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled [but plain whole wheat flour works perfectly too!]
1 cup bread flour, spooned and leveled
4 t vital wheat gluten
3 T light brown sugar, packed
1 t sea salt
2 t instant yeast or bread machine yeast
[optional: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks, use smooth natural peanut butter instead]
with the machine:
place all ingredients in bread pan, following manufacturer’s instructions. set on DOUGH. let the machine do its work.
without the machine:
in a large bowl, whisk together water, peanut butter, sugar, salt. add flour and yeast, and optional chocolate chips. stir with a wooden spoon, start using your hands once it gets too tough to make do with the spoon.
place dough on a clean, lightly floured surface and start kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. don’t worry if it’s a little wet, it’ll work out. of course you don’t want it super sticky, but a little wet is fine. shape dough into a ball.
lightly coat your bowl with oil, swirl dough around to coat it with oil. cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
prepare an 8-inch bread loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
remove dough from either the bread machine pan or the bowl. punch it down. roll it out to about 11 x 16 inches. roll it up like you would a Swiss roll, tightly and firmly. pat it down on the sides and tops. place it in the prepared bread pan and press it down with your knuckles so that it covers the bottom surface. cover with a plastic wrap and let rise for another hour in same warm, draft-free area. it will rise about 2 inches above the pan, like a mushroom, you’ll see!
20 minutes before the dough is done rising, preheat your oven to 375F. remove plastic wrap from dough, and bake for 30 minutes or until instant-read thermometer tells you your bread has reached at least 195F in the its center. you might want to loosely cover your bread with aluminum foil to avoid having it get too tanned.
check for the bottom of the bread to sound hollow when tapped after 30 minutes in the oven, if you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, to be sure it’s ready to be eaten.
let cool on a rack. let cool completely before slicing.
- © Copyright 2007-2008 HaveCakeWillTravel.
All recipes and pictures by HaveCakeWillTravel unless otherwise mentioned.
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Can’t go wrong with peanut butter bread!
Oooh, peanut butter bread.
Thanks for the ‘by hand’ instructions- I tend to do most of my kneading by hand- got to get in the exercise somehow after commuting to work via trains for 3 hrs each day, heh.
I’m going back to my home state in a few weeks and I have a friend who is obsessed with anything with peanut butter. I may use this bread to bribe him into giving me dvds. Mmm, Bribe Bread.
I like a lot peanut butter..uhmm..I can have a try even if I’m not so good in baking :-P..but it looks so delicious..
Thanks for all the tips and the recipe!
Silvia
Ok, you have me convinced, I must try this bread. *Adds bread flour to grocery list*
Peanut butter bread!! Wow, I’ve never had anything like that and now have a serious craving for some. I love the idea of having some as french toast, with bananas and walnuts and maple syrup….mmmmm.
Looks absolutely delicious! You take beautiful photographs, btw.
Yes, me too! It looks so beautiful and I can almost smell the peanut butter. And the picture is perfect again!
i never had this :)
(btw love the posts! have been catchin’ up with the latest from the past two days…)
thank you for all the kind comments! have fun kneading whenever you get a chance. :)
Celine thank you for your visit to my blog. it was a real pleasure reading your comment..thanks for the bagel..actually I’ve had one during the afternoon..
Sorry if the post sounds a little depressing but it’s not instead is my turning point in life. Thanks again I’m following your post with much interest!
:-)
Silvia
Oh man, I’ve gotta try this bread. Peanut butter is my all time favourite anything and peanut butter on bread, well that’s my favourite lunch so peanut butter in the bread (as well as on it) would be like heaven!! My boyfriend jokes that everything I make has peanut butter in it somewhere (and he’s probably way closer to the truth than he might realise!).
your bread recipes are the reason i asked for a bread machine for christmas last year! i didn’t get one, but this recipe convinces me that i need to put it on my list again and show my grandma that i mean business.
oh my goodness! so many suggestions and variations. this bread sounds so so so delicious. i love how you can see the whole peanuts in the beautiful pictures you’ve taken.
Celine, I somehow never found your original peanut butter bread post which makes me very sad indeed. All this time I could have been making PEANUT BUTTER bread? Are you serious?
I seriously thank you for this recipe, and I’m glad to see that you’re on my side with the nut butters =). And thank you for the by-hand instructions! I do not yet have a bread machine because it’s a little too bulky and expensive for a grad student living in an apartment.
I have a huge bag of whole wheat pastry flour….would that work? I think I bought it because I was under the assumption that it was just a finer ground of whole wheat flour that could be used instead to give a finer texture. I’m not too experienced as a baker, but I do know that I want to make this asap!
- The Peanut Butter Boy
And what about upping the WW flour even more? Perhaps 2 1/2 to 1/2, or even 3 cups of WW?? I’d certainly be willing to try it if the master baker believes it possible (that’s you). Plus I don’t have any bread flour on hand so it would shorten the time until I can taste this bread!
- The Peanut Butter Boy
I love peanut Butter, so I would enjoy such a wonderful bread! It looks beautiful and extremely fluffy!
Cheers,
Rosa
I wouldn’t recommend using whole wheat pastry flour, Nick. it’s too fine and not as rich in gluten as simple WW is. use it for baked goods instead! half of it and half all purpose makes for delightful, healthier desserts and you can’t even tell it’s in there.
but going WW all the way for the PB bread? for sure! I’ve already done it before and it turned out wonderfully, although altering the flavor just a touch but not necessarily in a bad way: just a bit of a stronger taste? be sure to use vital wheat gluten to improve the texture, though.
I hope someone treats you to a bread machine soon, ruby red vegan!
All your breads look so great. I love PB and this one, just maybe, could convince me to try yeast bread–esp. with those “by hand” instructions. :)
Peanut butter bread! Looks amazing.
that is so gorgeous! I could kick myself- I was supposed to bring a big bag of white whole wheat flour home from my mom’s, but I forgot it! How do you think this might be with regular whole wheat flour?
This bread looks amazing!!!! I am a peannut butter addict!
Oh my gosh that looks so delicious!!! I have to try that ASAP!
thank you for the feedback, guys!
quick note for miss B: whole wheat flour will work out perfectly! I will edit the post to make mention of this as not everyone manages to find the other white whole wheat one so easily, depending on where one lives.
There’s nothing finer in this world than peanut butter.
This sounds like a good idea to me. I’m always spreading peanut butter on my bread, and it’s like, why? When I could just put peanut butter into the batter.
join the ranks of the super lazy, Emiline! it’s got a pretty view down here.
This sounds so good! I really do need to work on my bread making skills..it is one thing I haven’t really tackled yet. Perhaps this will be my first adventure :)
Hi Celine,
Thanks for making me your contact on Flickr. I’m glad to have found your site. Your photos are beautiful and food instructions make things seem fun and easy (and I am terrified of bread). I’m just about to start digging into your site. Looking forward to more. Thanks again,
Shea
Wow, that looks great! I haven’t heard of peanut butter bread before but it sure does sound yummy. Beautiful photos too! and I like the cupcake drawings as well! :-)
so, you made ME happy because now i have an excuse to buy a thermom. and you made my husband happy (and approve of yet another “tool” purchase by me) because he is OBSESSED with pb!
you rock our world.
I *HAVE* to make this for Ryan, you are so right!
This looks like a fabulous velvety textured bread. Made into French toast, I can imagine that it takes on another delicious flavor all together. Sounds and looks simply yummy.
Sheltie Girl @ Gluten a Go Go
It’s genius! I’ve been cheating myself by just putting peanut butter ON my bread, now I can put peanut butter on my peanut butter bread. Double the PB love!
reallu nice blog, congrats.
i added to my links :]
Cheers from brazil
Vinicius
my hubby would love this!
Two of my favourite things & not in sandwich form? Ingenious! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Oh, boy, another one of your delicious breads to bake! Peanut butter on pb bread will be better than pb on banana bread, because it’s just more peanut butter.
This bread sounds incredible, and the pictures in this entry are especially gorgeous. You’re awesome, C!