Elvis and the Breadmachine

 Okay, we all know I really love my bread machine and I do enjoy an Elvis tune now and then, but while looking over my past postings, I noticed that I do tend to focus on bread recipes. Does this fascination warrant a name change of my blog? Possibly changing the whole focus of my blog? Is homemade bread a "Cents-able Dining" choice? Will I ever get to the point of this post and what do Elvis and bread machines have in common?
  Well, bread-making hits that mark of  "Cents-able Dining" on several points. With a 5-pound bag of King Arthur flour purchased at Wal-mart for $3.58, I can make at least 6 to 8 loaves of bread per month. Not only can I make a crusty white bread that holds up to any soups or stews that I make, I can also make sweet treats that allow me to monitor that amount of sugars that go into the bread or cake rather than some sugar-laden box mix. Even if I choose, I can replace the sugar with Splenda or natural honey. The options are limitless.
  So I began searching the net, looking at one recipe after the other, trying to find the perfect sweet treat. I tried several recipes, but nothing pleased my pallet. I was beginning to get the "Princess and the Pea" feeling. This loaf was too sweet, this loaf was not sweet enough, and this loaf was just plain bad. Well, last week while perusing the shelves at our local library, I found a real gem of a cookbook. This little treasure is called  "The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes" by Donna Rathmell German.
  This cookbook has every kind of bread, cake and roll that one would ever want or need to try. The author has also taken time in the forward to explain different issues that can arise when making bread: which flours are best to use, and what one can do with rarer types of flours not found at your local grocery store.
  But, by far, my favorite recipe has to be the Peanut Butter Banana Bread. After eating a slice of this, I can now see why Elvis was so very fond of Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches. You too will be crooning "Love me Tender" after one taste. The bread is just sweet enough to curb any sugar craving but, not so sweet to leave you in a diabetic coma. The mashed bananas not only add moisture but also give the bread a lovely aroma. For breakfast, I sliced two nice pieces of bread and placed a little smear of cream cheese that had a little touch of honey in it. Let's just say I was "All Shook Up" after one taste !
  So "Don't be Cruel" to your friends and family, stir up a loaf of this yummy bread.
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
3 Ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cups peanut butter
1 egg
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons yeast
Follow your manufacturer's directions for placing ingredients in bread pan. If dough is a little dry during the mixing process add warm water a tablespoon at a time (added 4 tablespoons). Check after the kneading cycle to see if bread is too wet or dry, make any needed changes.

Sorry that there are no pictures to share but, the bread disappeared that fast !
As always my fork is at the ready,
Elizabeth