The Peanut Butter Bread recipe calls for few ingredients and simple instructions, yielding a delightful loaf in about an hour. Originating from the Great Depression Era, it carries a rich history. With its moist crumb, intense peanut butter flavor, and delightful crunch, few quick breads rival this classic favorite.
During the Great Depression Era in the U.S., this recipe was crafted with simplicity to cater to home cooks facing limited access to fresh ingredients.
During the Covid lockdown, like many, I found myself baking more. I stumbled upon a 1932 recipe on Reddit, which intrigued me with its use of peanut butter in quick bread.
I tried it and loved it, making a few tweaks to enhance it further.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Make this amazing peanut butter loaf with only a few pantry staples in an hour.
- This bread is even better the next day, as the flavor of the peanut butter is more pronounced.
- This peanut butter loaf is packed with peanut butter flavor just like my 2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge, Peanut Butter Cookies and Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies.
Traditional Breads VS. Quick Breads
Quick breads are a hybrid of pound cake and traditional bread, with a texture and moistness akin to pound cake while retaining the shape of bread. The traditional bread on the other hand depends on yeast and gluten development to rise unlike the quick breads whereas unlike traditional bread, quick breads do not rely on yeast and gluten development to rise.
Yeast VS Leavening agents
Traditional breads rely on yeast and fermentation for rising, requiring proofing time, while quick breads use chemical leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda for immediate lift during baking.
Dough VS Batter
Breads are made with dough that requires kneading, while quick breads use a batter that can be quickly mixed without extensive kneading or rising time, differing significantly in consistency.
Different Baking Methods
Due to the variance in baking methods, there's a noticeable distinction in the texture and crumb between breads and quick breads. Breads have a denser, chewier texture with a tighter crumb due to gluten development and longer fermentation. Quick breads, with their quick mixing and leavening agents, result in a softer, more cake-like texture with a more open crumb.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Bread
- Peanut butter (chunky) is the hero of this recipe. Use full fat peanut butter for a moist and light crumb.
- All-purpose flour provides structure to this quick bread.
- Peanuts to sprinkle on the bread.
- Sour cream adds moistness to the bread. Use full fat sour cream for best results.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use creamy peanut butter in place of chunky one. It depends on your choice.
- Want a chocolate punch in the bread? Add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
- For crunchy bites, add ½ cup walnuts or pecans in the batter to make the bread crunchier with nuts.
- Make this bread with bananas. Simply add 2 mashed medium-sized ripe bananas in the mixture and you will get a banana peanut butter bread.
- Add ½ cup of raisins in the batter if you are a fan of raisins.
This recipe hasn't been tested with alternative substitutions or variations. If you choose to replace or include different ingredients, we'd love to hear about your experience. Please share your feedback in the comments section below!
Baking Pro Tips
1. Unless a recipe says otherwise, always use room-temperature ingredients. This helps them mix together smoothly and evenly, for perfect results every time.
2. Ditch the measuring cups and grab your digital scale. Weighing dry ingredients in grams ensures perfect accuracy and consistent results.
How to Make Peanut Butter Bread
Detailed Instructions Below! See the key steps here, then head to the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
2. Using an electric beater beat together butter and peanut butter until creamy.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat again.
4. Add in the sour cream.
5. Beat until the mixture is creamy.
6. Add the dry ingredients and gently mix.
7. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Know that the batter will be thick. Sprinkle peanuts and press them using a spatula.
8. Bake at 350 F for about 50 - 55 minutes until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Thick Batter: The batter for this peanut butter quick bread may appear thick, but there's no need to worry. Once baked, it will yield perfect results, so trust the process and enjoy the delicious outcome.
- Prevent excessive browning during baking. To prevent excessive browning while baking, closely monitor oven temperature. Around 40 minutes, check bread color, if top is getting too dark, loosely cover with foil. Avoid tight wrapping to prevent foil from sticking to bread surface.
Recipe FAQs
Using a heavy-duty blender for making peanut butter bread is indeed a convenient and efficient method. With a heavy-duty blender, preparing the bread batter becomes a hassle-free process, ensuring smooth and consistent results.
While I haven't personally tried it, I believe you can substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio for this recipe. If you do decide to make it with gluten-free flour, I'd love to hear about your experience. Feel free to share your results in the comments!
If your peanut butter is sticking to the measuring cup, there are a few tricks you can try to make it slide out more easily:
To ease peanut butter sticking to the measuring cup try any of the following methods.
- Warm the cup: Run under hot water briefly for a few seconds to loosen the peanut butter and make it easier to slide out.
- Use a spatula: Scrape out with a spatula after scooping using a spatula to easily release any stuck peanut butter in the cup.
- Grease the cup: Apply baking spray or nonstick spray in the measuring cup and the peanut butter will slide out easily.
- Chill the peanut butter: Refrigerate briefly to firm up the soft and sticky peanut butter. This can help prevent it from sticking to the measuring cup.
How to Store
Room Temperature
The peanut butter bread will maintain its freshness at room temperature for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight bread container. This container helps preserve the bread's texture and flavor, ensuring it stays delicious for longer.
Refrigerator
This peanut butter loaf will remain fresh in the fridge for up to a week. Simply place the slices in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for optimal freshness.
Freezing Instructions
To freeze the bread, individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap and then add a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. Arrange the wrapped slices on a baking tray and place them in the freezer until they harden. Once hardened, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag or an airtight container for 2 months. This method helps preserve the freshness and flavor of the bread for future enjoyment.
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Related Quick Bread Recipes
Recipe
Peanut Butter Bread
Equipment
- 1 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (240 g)
- ¼ cup butter (57 g) room temperature
- ¾ cup castor sugar (170 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (10 g)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (1.25 g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream (123 g) room temperature
- 1 cup chunky peanut butter (250 g) room temperature
- 1 egg (large)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 g)
- ¼ cup peanuts (roasted) (32 g) for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the baking nonstick spray to a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper in the bottom.
- In a large bowl sift together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk and set aside.
- In another large bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter with peanut butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy and creamy.
- Add in the sour cream and mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and fold until mixed together.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the peanuts on the top before putting the pan in the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
- Let the peanut butter loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
Notes
- Thick Batter: The batter for this peanut butter quick bread may appear thick, but there's no need to worry. Once baked, it will yield perfect results, so trust the process and enjoy the delicious outcome.
- Prevent excessive browning during baking. To prevent excessive browning while baking, closely monitor oven temperature. Around 40 minutes, check bread color, if top is getting too dark, loosely cover with foil. Avoid tight wrapping to prevent foil from sticking to bread surface.