SUNNY BREAD!

Sunny Bread

Quick & Savory

As I write this, five high school seniors on "May Term" are interning with me, helping run the final 

tests on recipes for my next cookbook, Minnesota's Bounty.  Energetic and curious, they're willing to tweak a flourless hazelnut torte until we get the proportions just right. (The first time, though the flavors were nutty, hazelnut rich, it was gooey and impossible to get off the pan. So, we are starting again.) We (literally) eat our mistakes.

Meanwhile, this pretty loaf of quick bread topped with crunchy sunnies makes a nice match to fresh garden salad (which we just shared that for lunch). It's also nice with a smear of sweet butter or a wedge of cheese. Serve it for brunch with quiche and a pot of orange marmalade. It's best right out of the oven; next day, toast slices and crown with almond butter. The loaf doesn't last too long.

Sunny Bread

Makes One Loaf

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 large egg

¼ cup sunflower oil

¼ cup mild honey

¾ cup milk

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

¼ cup flax seeds

¼ cup sunflower seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with a little oil and sprinkle with a little of the flour to coat the pan.

            In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

            In a medium bowl, beat together the yogurt, egg, oil, honey and milk, then stir in the oats and flax seeds. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture just until blended but not over mixed. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds.

            Bake the loaf until well browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the loaf to loosen it then turn out onto a rack.