Our apartment is an Amish kitchen.
Well, not really, seeing as how we use electricity and other modern conveniences such as a stand mixer and a dishwasher. But the amount of Amish bread baked in our home should cancel all of that out.
When I first started my Amish bread baking kick a few years ago, I would sometimes bake six or eight loaves at a time! Now that I’m a bit more experienced in the ways of baking (and I have to buy my own ingredients), I’ve cut that down to two loaves at a time. And I’ve started getting a bit more ambitious with my Amish bread variations. A few weeks ago, I made an oatmeal apple variation, which you can read about here (along with the original Amish bread recipe). This time, I decided to go a little crazy and throw blueberries into the mix.
I have a little obsession with blueberry baked goods. Blueberry muffins, blueberry scones, blueberry pancakes, and now, blueberry Amish bread. I don’t know what it is that makes blueberries so wonderfully suited for baking, but I shall continue to throw them into anything I can.
The extra awesome thing about this particular Amish bread variation is that it incorporates FIVE of the 30 healthy foods: skim milk, oatmeal, almonds, eggs, and blueberries!
And since the original Amish bread is almost too sweet to eat for anything except dessert, this blueberry banana oatmeal variation is a less sweet, more wholesome breakfast food that won’t make you feel quite as guilty about going back for that second (or third, or fourth) slice.
Once again, you need a starter to make Amish bread (and if are in the Lexington or Louisville area, I would be thrilled to share a starter with you!). You’ll follow the instructions for days 1-10, as listed here.
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Amish Bread
Day 10: After measuring out four 1 cup starters, you’ll have a little left in the bowl. Add:
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup skim milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl, mix together:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup blueberries (I would certainly recommend adding more blueberries, but 1/2 cup is all I had on hand)
Add dry ingredients to first mixture, mixing well.
Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide batter between the two. Top with slivered almonds.
Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes, or until knife comes our clean.
A little baker’s tip: In case you are anything like us and eat bananas so often that they never make it to that mushy, ready for banana bread stage, you can take a few non-ripened bananas and throw them into the freezer for about 12 hours. Then remove them and let them thaw on a plate (to catch all the thawing juices). They’ll be soft and ready for mushing in no time!
-Ally
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