Recipe: Sour Cream Tea Bread with 10 Variations (Good Housekeeping recipe)

SOUR CREAM TEA BREAD

"This light fine-textured cake (or any of the variations that follow) may be baked in four (5 3/4 by 3 1/4-inch) mini loaf pans for 40 minutes, or until the bread tests done with a toothpick. These mini-loaves make great gifts."



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick), softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 (8 ounces) container sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease (9 by 5-inch) metal loaf pan; dust with flour.

In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat until creamy.

Reduce speed to low and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally with rubber spatula. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake 1 hour 5 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove loaf from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

VARIATION:

ROSEMARY AND GOLDEN RAISIN TEA BREAD:
Prepare as above but omit vanilla. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped dried rosemary with 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil; stir into batter after adding eggs. Fold 3/4 cup golden raisins into batter before spooning into pan. Bake as directed.

CHERRY-ALMOND TEA BREAD:
Prepare as above and add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract with vanilla. Fold 1 cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped, into batter before spooning into pan. Before baking, sprinkle 1/4 cup sliced almonds on top of batter. Bake as directed, covering loaf with foil after 45 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.

BLUEBERRY STREUSEL TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and fold in 1 1/2 cups blueberries, In small bowl, with fingertips, mix -1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons chopped pecans 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened, until blended. Sprinkle streusel over batter. Bake 1 hour 15 to 25 minutes.

CURRANT AND SPICE TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 3/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg to flour mixture. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/4 cup water and 1 cup dried currants over high heat 5 minutes, or until water has been absorbed; cool and fold into batter. Bake as directed.

GINGER TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 1 teaspoon ground ginger to flour mixture. Fold 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped, into batter. Bake as directed.

APRICOT-ALMOND TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract with vanilla. Fold 1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped, into batter. Before baking, sprinkle 1/4 cup sliced almonds over batter. Bake as directed, covering loaf with foil after 45 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.

CHOCOLATE CHIP TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 1 cup chocolate mini-chips to batter. Bake as directed.

LEMON TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel to butter-sugar mixture. Bake as directed.

ANISE-RAISIN TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 2 teaspoons anise seeds, crushed, to flour mixture. Fold 1 cup dark seedless raisins into batter. Bake as directed.

CRANBERRY TEA BREAD:
Prepare batter as for Sour Cream Tea Bread and add 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel to butter-sugar mixture. Fold 1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped, into batter. Bake as directed.

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)
Source: Good Housekeeping Baking: More than 600 Recipes for homemade treats by Good Housekeeping Magazine