Brother Boniface Rocks!

Volleyball season kicks off which means lots of travel, packing healthy, yummy, convenient food and endless hours in the gym. I am so excited! After 6 years of this, I am a bit of a pro, and there are a few things I always bring. Popcorn, popped in my Whirly Pop, plain or kettle, it is the best snack for on the road. Good for the digestive system! Banana Bread, I have blogged many times about my banana bread. The recipe is here and it never fails to please. It is low fat, or at least it was until I added the chocolate chips, and it stays very moist. I like to bake it and freeze it well wrapped in foil and then cut down the middle and then slices, so the pieces are a little smaller and more manageable.

So I poked around my freezer for bananas and was disappointed to only find three black ones. That's just one loaf, so what else am I going to bake? The oat bran bread was already in the oven, but I didn't think that would go over well with 16 yr old girls. And, by the way, I added a cup of freshly grated carrots to the oat bran bread, what a great addition! A little more crunch, and it got me thinking about all the other possibilities.

Then I rummaged around the pantry and found a can of pumpkin leftover from the fall. Hmmm, I perused my tub file for a pumpkin bread recipe, because I usually make pumpkin muffins and I was out of chocolate chips, so I needed something different. I found one that was cut from Southern Living, no idea what year, but the little blurb next to a picture that is cut off reads Brother Boniface bakes daily at Mepkin Abbey in Charleston, South Carolina. It is common for persons in religious orders to take the name of a Saint. Sadly I cut the picture off and when I went to the website of Mepkin Abbey I didn't see a Brother Boniface in the photo, nor any mention of a bakery. However, these entrepreneurial monks are mushroom farmers, and sell them at local stores and even have a few recipes on their website. Isn't the internet amazing!?

Now a little aside about St. Boniface. It is the name of my childhood church in Clinton, Iowa and is very dear to my heart. I made my first communion there and spent many Holy Days of Obligation there. It is a gem in a very unassuming place. St. Boniface was the Patron Saint of Germans and is recognized as bringing Christianity to the German's when he cut down the Oak Tree of Thor and dared the mighty Thor to stop him. A big wind came and blew the tree down and the people were drawn to the power of God. He died in 754, so the legend was passed. Clinton, Iowa was a very German community, and the church of St. Boniface is thankfully well preserved.

So it was decided I would make Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread. I liked the looks of the recipe, lots of spices, a whole can of pumpkin (because what can you really do with a ⅓ of a can of pumpkin in the fridge?). I altered it with walnuts instead of pecans, I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour and I used buttermilk instead of water. The bonus, it makes 2 big loaves and it's delicious! Now it isn't lowfat, low in sugar or anything like that, but dang, it is moist and satisfying!
So, get in there and Bake!

Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread
4 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon ginger
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 can pumpkin (15oz)
⅔ cup water (I used buttermilk)
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts for me!)

Beat first 14 ingredients at medium speed with a mixer until moistened. Fold in nuts and pour into greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350° for an hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans and turn onto a rack to finish cooling.

Throwback to Oat Bran

The year is 1988. I probably have a perm, a fair share of mauve in my very contemporary Michigan home, a snappy bow tied at the neck of my white blouse with my navy blue suit and a cabinet full of oat bran products. Some trends really needed to go away, and my hair is most thankful. But as I worked on the 100th blog story, I came across a recipe for Oat Bran Bread, and decided this one is a keeper. A loaf has a stunning 36+ grams of fiber not including the nuts or fruit. There is no added fat like butter or oil and no sugar or honey, and nothing artificial. The recipe was featured in the Grand Rapids Press that fine year, and I remember really enjoying that food section. They profiled local cooks every week and I have other recipes from the food section. I always wanted to be a good enough cook to be featured one day. It was my favorite place to live, full of great memories and friends I still keep in touch with.



The recipe reads Walter Braunohler's Oat Bran Bread. I had to Google him to remember who he is. He is an orthopedic, and I probably called on his practice detailing pharmaceuticals back then. It couldn't be easier to make, and with a side of plain yogurt, it makes a delicious breakfast.



I made a few changes, no surprise there. I used Craisins instead of raisins because they were left over from Christmas. But the boiling in juice is a great way to use dried up, hard raisins you forgot you had. They'll plump right up! I used 100% apple juice and I used all oat products. I only buy old fashioned or steel cut oats, as they have more fiber in them. The oat flour is easier to come by than it was in 1988 because of the gluten free diets. Bob's Red Mill makes a great assortment of flours and grains, the packages are relatively small, and I store the leftovers in the freezer. And I chose walnut over pecans because of the monounsaturated fat content. Prevention seems to think they are better for you, and personally I like the taste better than pecans. Be careful not to over bake this, it takes a little guess work, but I like it a little moister. My first loaf in 20+ years was a little dry, but I resisted the urge to slather butter on it! Delicious still. Hmm, I wonder how my hair would look curly?