Happy Friday, lovelies!
Autumn in our home means lots of things, but one of my favorites is...
b r e a d b a k i n g.
Nearly every year since I was around sixteen years old, I have chosen a handful of season breads to make. Typically, I will set aside one weekend to work on this project on and off over a few days. This year, however, I spread it out over about a week, baking a bit here and there. I always look forward to this tradition because it means that we get to set aside some yummy goodness in our freezer to enjoy over the coming months, but it also means that we get to package up some special, yummy goodness to share with our friends and neighbors.
Being the recipe lover that I am, I do not commit to a set list of recipes each year. I have way too much fun trying new recipes and switching it up every year. The only rules I have are that the loaves of bread must be autumn-themed, have lots of spices and feature autumn flavors, such as pumpkin, apple, sweet potato, etc. This year, I also decided to mix things up a bit and include a few muffin recipes...because, variety is the spice of life, after all.
My baking list for this autumn included:
Apple Spice Bread
Apple Granola Muffins
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Keeping apple as the main star of these recipes, I chose an old favorite...Apple Spice Bread (recipe HERE) as well as a new-to-us recipe...Apple Granola Muffins (recipe coming soon!). I was even more excited because this autumn I also discovered a granola recipe that has since become our very favorite; this is a huge happiness because I've been searching and trying recipes for years now. And I got to use that granola in these muffins, which made them all the more delicious.
My final apple recipe for this year was my dear friend's recipe for Apple Cinnamon Muffins. I've made these nearly every year since she shared the recipe on her (former) blog here. And now, it's time for another feature ingredient...pumpkin! I've been making this pumpkin bread recipe (coming soon!) for yers now, probably since I was about seventeen. Over the years, I've made a few changes, and this year, I made a couple more and finally, it is perfect. It's a soft bread with not too much sweetness and just the right about of spice...and of course, pumpkin!
My other pumpkin recipe was a new-to-me one...pumpkin streusel muffins (recipe coming soon!) Streusel is literally one of my most favorite things ever! I made Banana Spice Crumble Muffins (recipe HERE) earlier this year and I was so excited to bake an autumn-themed muffin with a crumbly streusel on top...and boy, did this recipe deliver! And my bread baking day(s) concluded with a wonderfully delightful spiced chocolate zucchini bread (recipe HERE). At first glance, this combination didn't sound appealing to me, but I'm so glad I gave it a shot. It is amazingly scrumptious! Last time, I made the recipe in a regular-sized loaf pan, but this time I used our preferred mini-loaf pans.
A few other favorite bread baking day favorites...
Halloween Barmbrack (A yearly tradition in our home)
What are your favorite seasonal breads to bake? Do share below!
Happy baking, friends!
♥