An acquaintance from India recently gifted me with a masala spice blend for my tea.  It is a wonderful mix of fennel, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon.  I’ve been enjoying it immensely but it so flavorful that anything I eat with it pales in comparison.

Luckily, the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook has a great spice bread recipe.  For about 15 minutes of work, you get a nice dessert bread that isn’t too sweet.  It calls for prune baby food (which I’ve started to keep on hand for baking – who knew it was great in baked goods?).  I actually increase the spices by about 50 percent to help it stand up to spice teas.  Amazon’s Look Inside feature lets you see the recipe which is on page 60 of the cookbook.

Stir together –

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground cloves

¾ teaspoons coriander

¾ teaspoons cardamom

¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk together –

1 ½ cups buttermilk

5 ounces prune baby food

2 tablespoons canola oil

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Pour into a well greased bread pan.  Place into a preheated over at 350 degrees and bake for about an hour.