Not just any ordinary breakfast loaf......

I wasn't going to blog about this bake but after getting feedback from hubby's colleagues - all rave reviews - I feel that this is the only right thing to do. Sharing great recipes is a good thing, especially if it's a recipe by THE Dorie Greenspan!
I was on a quest to make breakfast more interesting for D; it has been cereal or oatmeal every single day for quite a while now and while there hasn't been an iota of complain from D, being the simple guy that he is, I myself would have been bored at even the sound of cereal crunch by now! So I reckon it's time to try something new for breakfast.
Dorie's Oatmeal Breakfast Bread from her "Baking From My Home to Yours" page 44.

You know how a recipe from even award-winning cookbook authors can be hit or miss sometimes? Unlike a recent bad experience, I love all of Dorie's recipes that I've tried so far. There're some that are simply exceptional, like this and this oatmeal loaf definitely belongs to the exceptional category, so much so that I baked it twice this week - back to back! D took the first loaf to work and it was all gone in a matter of few minutes! The VP loved it so much that he came back for seconds; perhaps a promotion is in order?!
Dorie had explained in her book that there was a time in baking when fruit puree was incorporated in many quickbread recipes as a less fattening option. Clearly the applesauce in this recipe was meant to be the key ingredient but despite the omission in mine, the loaf was still superb. I don't normally make changes to Dorie's recipes - why mess with a perfectly wonderful recipe? Nonetheless, I had to substitute the applesauce in this recipe with a combination of ricotta cheese and sour cream simply because I had none in my pantry. I also swapped out the sugar in the batter and used agave nectar instead - that's the only way I'm allowed to have a piece of the loaf now that I'm into this low-fat-low-sugar-low-carb diet these days.  Speaking of substitutions, I was recently intrigued by how some people purportedly claimed ownership just by making minor recipe adjustments; substitute pork for beef, double up on the amount of pie crust.... so I sometimes use low-fat milk instead of whole milk when baking......I guess I am a recipe developer now? Don't get me wrong - there are many people who have successfully tweaked recipes with great results. Hats off to those with that genuine creative ability; then there are some that......nevermind. Here's an interesting article to read when you have time. What do you reckon? Can I claim this oatmeal loaf recipe as mine then? And don't get me started on those who love copying quotes and using them verbatim on their Facebook status updates without giving any proper credits! Geesh, some people........

Oatmeal Breakfast Bread adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours (page 44)

Ingredients:
For the topping:
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For the bread:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce (because I had none, I substituted with 1 cup ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup sourcream)
1/3 cup flavorless oil such as canola or safflower
1/4 cup buttermilk or whole milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar (I substituted with same amount of agave nectar)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup diced dried figs, apples or apricots or moist, plump dark or golden raisins (I used a combination of dried dates and golden raisins)
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter a 9x5" loaf pan, dust inside with flour and tap our excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the topping:
In a small bowl, using your fingers,toss together the sugar, nuts and cinnamon until evenly mixed. Set aside.

To make the bread:
1. Whisk together the wet ingredients - eggs, applesauce (in my case it was ricotta cheese, sourcream and agave nectar), oil and buttermilk until well blended
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate large bowl - flour, sugar (if you're not using agave nectar) baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Remove 1/2 tsp of the mix and toss it with the fruit, just to coat; set aside.
3. Stir the oats into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and using a large rubber spatula, stir just until everything is evenly moistened - this is a case in which less is more, so don't overdo the mixing.
5. Scatter the dried fruit over the batter and stir to blend.
6. Scrap the batter into the pan and sprinkle over the topping, tamping it down very lightly with your fingers so it sticks.
7. Bake for 55 - 65 minutes or until the bread is beautifully browned and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. I turned off my oven after 50 minutes and allowed the heat to bake the loaf for another 5 mins, given my temperamental oven. Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
Don't cut into the bread when it's warm, as much as you're tempted to. It's best to wait until the bread is fully cooled before cutting. Serve with your favorite morning beverage!

A glorious loaf for a great start to your mornings......