Sunflower Whole Wheat Quick Bread

Sometimes, the best recipes come from spur of the moment baking sessions when you are trying to use up some ingredients that are about to expire.  I had some buttermilk leftover, some eggs that were nearing their time, and a ton of sunflower seeds that I was itching to use.  I stumbled upon this recipe and knew it would mix up a more than satisfactory quick bread.


The recipe is extremely easy to mix up.  You mix the dry ingredients in one large bowl, mix up the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl (I used a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup) and then you mix and bake.  I love recipes that use one bowl!  It makes for such an easy clean-up which does not come easy when it comes to baking.


The mixture gets pretty tough to mix, but it's supposed to be a thick-oatmeal like consistency when you pour it in the pan.  I loved this bread recipe (even though my oven decided to heat to 450 while baking it, thus causing it to burn a bit).  I've had it for breakfast with some jam and apple butter from a recent Farmer's Market purchase.  I will definitely be making it again.

Sunflower Whole Wheat Quick Bread
adapted from Amanda's Cookin
Yield:  1 9x5 loaf
Ingredients

• 2 c WW flour
• 1/5 c AP flour
• 1/2 c wheat germ
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 c roasted sunflower seeds, plus a handful extra to sprinkle on top of bread
• 1.5 c buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp salted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.  Place prepared ban on a baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together both flours, wheat germ, both sugars, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  
3. Stir in 1 cup of sunflower seeds.
4. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.  Whisk until just combined.
5. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.  (Mixture will be thick and sticky.)
6. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.  
7. Place baking sheet with loaf pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.
8. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.