We’re going to be in Seattle for Thanksgiving and our son and his wife are headed to Singapore, so we’re doing up an early Thanksgiving tomorrow!

For me, it’s less about turkey and more about carb-loading. :) So we’re starting with three loaves of bread:

Irish Soda Bread with Black Currants and Cranberries:

Ingredients
4 cups [480g+, see note!] flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup [150g] dried currants (see note)
1 3/4 Cup [14ounces / 415ml] buttermilk
1-2 pats of butter (optional)

Instructions

Soak dried fruit in cold water for 30 minutes and drain. Failing to do this will allow them to soak the moisture from the dough leaving it tough and chewy.

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Add dried currants and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a sticky dough. If the dough is overly sticky, add a little more flour.

Knead dough a few times in the mixing bowl or on a floured surface until it forms a round loaf. It will start out sticky and crumbly but after you knead it a few times, the dough will come together.

Shape dough into a round and place in a Dutch oven with a lid.

Cut two criss-cross slices into the top of the bread with a knife (see photo above). Brush the leftover buttermilk over the top of the bread.

Bake covered for 30 minutes at 425F/215C and then about 15 minutes uncovered. The bread is done when golden brown and the internal temp is 180F/82C.

Let bread cool on a wire rack. Place a couple pats of butter over the bread and let them melt as the bread cools.

Notes

If you weigh ingredients start with 480g of flour and add more as needed. If you use buttermilk, you should be fine with 480g of flour and 415ml of buttermilk. A few more sprinkles of flour might be needed as you knead it. If you use milk + vinegar instead of buttermilk, start with half of the milk and add more as needed.

If you use a buttermilk alternative, I’ve found that real buttermilk works the best in this recipe and with the amount of flour indicated. If you use a buttermilk alternative (e.g. milk + vinegar), you’ll likely need less of it. Start with half of what’s listed in the recipe and add more a little at a time. If you add too much milk and the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Buttermilk alternative, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar with 1 3/4 cup fresh 2% milk and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Or thin yogurt or sour cream with some milk until you have 1 3/4 cup.

In place of dried currants you can use raisins, dried cranberries, etc. Or make it plain. I used 1/2 currants, 1/2 cranberries.

Bourbon Spiked Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pumpkin puree
150 grams brown sugar (about ¾ cup)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
1 generous tablespoon bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
94 grams all-purpose flour (about ¾ cup)
94 grams while whole-wheat flour (about ¾ cup)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F and coat loaf pan with baking spray.

Place pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and melted butter in mixer and mix on high until well combined. Add in Greek yogurt, bourbon, vanilla extract, and egg. Mix until combined.

(I may have accidentally doubled the bourbon)

In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixer is on medium-low speed. Mix just until combined, but avoid over-mixing. Batter should be slightly thick.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool, then slice and enjoy!

NOTES

For 1/12 of recipe: 127 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 23 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 3 g protein

Black Currant Banana Bread:

INGREDIENTS
3 ripe bananas
60g melted butter (1/4 cup or 1/2 a stick)
150g sugar (2/3 cup)
200g unbleached flour (1 1/4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
150g of fresh or frozen blackcurrants (without defreezing before use) (1 1/2 cups)

Instructions:

If you buy bananas that are not quite ripe enough, place them in a paper bag on your kitchen counter for a week. Bananas release a gas called ethylene which aids in ripening. Contain that gas, and they will ripen faster.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)

Mash the bananas in a bowl

Add the egg and butter

Put all the dry ingredients together into a fine mesh sieve or sifter and sift into the bowl

Mix well with a wooden spoon

Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

Slice and serve.