Guest Post: Peach Bread by Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

Tracey’s Culinary Culinary Adventures has always been one of the food blogs I trust and go to for many recipes since my early days of food blogging. Not only are her pictures beautiful, but the corresponding recipes are frequently being added to my neverending must-make list (except when it involves shrimp) and I’ve never not liked a recipe I have made from her blog. She recently posted a red velvet ice cream recipe that I absolutely must make once all the ice cream I made for ice cream week is gone. I also find myself drooling every kebab recipe she ever posts, with the most recent recipe being these Chipotle Chicken Kebabs with Avocado Cream Sauce. Basically, she and I need to live near one another so I can have her cook for me. I’m lucky enough to consider her a friend and excited to have her guest posting today!

One year ago: Root Beer Cake Brownies

Two years ago: Biscoff Cheesecake Ice Cream

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Hi everyone! I’m Tracey from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, and I am thrilled to be guest posting for Erin today. I’m beyond impressed with her dedication to this blog despite the pressures of her PhD program and couldn’t be happier to help her out as she puts the finishing touches on that dissertation and moves toward graduation. Yay Erin!
Labor Day weekend always seems to mark the unofficial start of fall, but I’m still clinging to the last weeks of summer with everything I have. It feels like some of the best summer produce (tomatoes, corn, eggplant, zucchini, etc) is really just starting to flow into the stores here so how I could not take advantage of it? Apples, pumpkin, and all the other fall goodness will still be waiting later this month when I’m ready…

In recent weeks, more than anything else, I’ve been obsessed with the peaches. So juicy and sweet, they are literally like candy! It’s always my first instinct to bake with fruit, but the peaches have been so darn good I couldn’t help but eat my weight in them just as they were. This whole wheat peach-oatmeal bread had been on my to-do list since last summer, and finally I convinced myself to part with a few of the peaches to make it happen. And I’m oh so glad I did!

Not only is this bread super quick and easy to throw together, it’s actually fairly low in fat with only four tablespoons of oil in the whole loaf. Combine that with the high percentage of whole wheat flour in the recipe as well as the oats and fruit, and I think we can all agree it’s practically health food :) The bread is definitely more hearty than your standard quick bread, but still moist and tender, with the peaches providing added sweetness and texture. You can get away with serving it for breakfast, but it’ll also curb your sweet tooth nicely as a late-night snack. That’s what I call a win-win!

Whole Wheat Peach-Oatmeal Bread

slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

{Note: to peel the peaches – drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds then immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water. When they’re cool enough to handle, the peels should slip off easily.}

2 cups (12 oz) peeled, sliced peaches (about 2-3 medium peaches)

2 cups (8 oz) white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup (3 1/8 oz) bread flour

1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (3 3/4 oz) packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup (3 1/2 oz) old-fashioned rolled oats

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (8 oz) milk (I used whole milk)

1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) canola oil

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Dice the peaches into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, bread flour, both sugars, the baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Add the oats and diced peaches, and gently fold to incorporate, trying not to break up the peaches. To a medium bowl, add the eggs, milk, oil, and almond extract; whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined (the batter will be quite thick).

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top is browning too much toward the end of the baking time, you can tent the pan with foil (I didn’t need to do this).

Remove the pan to a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.