When I arrived here in California, my Nana and Grandpa were up at the family cabin in the Sierra Nevadas. When they came back a few days later, Nana had a present for me. She had found an old baking book tucked away in the kitchen and thought I might enjoy looking through it.
It’s actually more of a pamphlet than a book. This promotional baking booklet for Clabber Girl Baking Powder was most likely given out for free. The date on the book is 1934 and the funny thing is that I still use Clabber Girl Baking Powder myself today!
The book is filled with good recipes for quick breads, cakes and cookies as well as ‘expert testimony’ as to why Clabber Girl Baking Powder is the best.
Cakes baked with Clabber Girl Baking Powder possess that nice velvety look also good taste which counts so much toward good cake; and foods deliciously prepared create a keen appetite inducing gastric juices to extract from such foods the life-giving substances that nourish the human body.
–What Experts Say in the Clabber Girl Baking Book
One of the recipes that caught my eye was Peach Bran Bread. The recipe uses dried peaches and although this is the season for fresh peach recipes, I just love baking with dried fruit! I know that this isn’t exactly baking season either but as far as I’m concerned, quick breads and muffins are to be enjoyed all year long!
I went out and purchased the peaches and bran and was all set to try out my first recipe from 1934. Then I realized my uncle had some ripe bananas that needed to be used up. My first thought was to make one batch of peach bread and one batch of banana bread but that seemed like an awful lot of bread for three people.
Then I started thinking about combining the flavors. Next thing I knew, I had a new recipe written out and I was making muffins rather than bread. Peachy Banana Bran Muffins were born! These muffins are terrific! And not only do they taste great, they’re good for you too!
The buttermilk, banana, and peaches keep the muffins moist even though they contain very little fat. Then the whole wheat flour, wheat bran and nuts pack in plenty of fiber and protein. These are great when you need a nutritious breakfast on the go!
Peachy Banana Bran Muffins
6 oz. dried peaches (about 1 cup)
boiling water
2 T. vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 C. buttermilk
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 C. whole wheat flour
1 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 C. wheat bran
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. mace (or substitute nutmeg)
1/2 C. chopped walnutsPreheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
Cover peaches with boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes; drain and cut into coarse pieces.
In a medium bowl, stir together oil, egg, buttermilk, bananas and brown sugar; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine both flours, wheat bran, baking powder, soda, salt and mace; whisk together well; stir in nuts.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don’t overmix but make sure the flour on the bottom of the bowl has been stirred in.
Spoon the batter into 12 greased muffin cups, filling the cups to the top.
Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 20 - 22 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Related Recipes:
- Applesauce Spice Muffins
- Apricot Cream Scones
- Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Maple Muffins
- Double Dark Chocolate Beet Muffins
Around the Web:
- Vanilla Peach Muffins from Baking Bites
- Peach Pecan Muffins from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
- Peach Walnut and Ginger Muffins from Limes and Lycopene
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Nicole you are definitely a Clabber girl! I’ve been to the cabin you speak of and I have seen a lot of vintage
10:36 pm Aug 23rd, 2007paraphernalia there, like soap and various cans in the cabinets. I do love vintage however, great pictures and nice post!
Ruby: don’t forget about the vintage toothbrushes
10:38 pm Aug 23rd, 2007Nicole those muffins are gorgeous! They look like tiny calico kittens, except of course, way more delicious.
11:12 pm Aug 23rd, 2007mmm the peach banana combo sounds great. i really only like bananas when they are in breads, but peaches are always a good time. this looks dee-lish!
11:35 pm Aug 23rd, 2007Erin: Yes, they kind of have the color of my cat Thumbelina!
Amanda: They really are good and they definitely taste more like peaches than bananas.
1:26 am Aug 24th, 2007Yum, Nicole — looks like a great combination. I love those vintage cookbooks, too.
3:43 pm Aug 24th, 2007I like discovering books like these
10:36 pm Aug 24th, 2007I’m a vintage cookbook collector, too. This recipe is one I will try for sure—combo of ingredients is one I have never thought of.
12:10 am Aug 25th, 2007How did I let myself miss out on eating one of these muffins? Darn it, you better make another batch!
5:42 am Aug 25th, 2007Got a batch in the oven right now. I substituted fresh peaches for the dried and am baking it in a 8×8″ square pan, lowered oven temp to 350 degrees, since I don’t have a big enough muffin pan. I’m sure it’s gonna be delicious, cause the raw batter sure is (still licking the bowl). I’ll just keep it going till a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
Lisa
PS - Is it healthy to eat the whole batch in one night? Tee Hee
2:16 am Aug 26th, 2007I love finding those old cook books. The pearls of wisdom are priceless: “Be certain to freshen your lipstick and remove your apron before welcoming your husband home from a hard day of work” Yeah, right!
4:53 pm Aug 26th, 2007Forgot, great muffins!
4:53 pm Aug 26th, 2007I wrote earlier about substituting fresh peaches and baking in a pan rather than a muffin tin.
When all was said and done, this recipe was great and has already disappeared from the stovetop.
Cook time in an 8×8″ pan was about 45 minutes @ 350 degrees.
Lisa
5:02 pm Aug 26th, 2007Were those the muffins you made that I ate that one day or are they different muffins? If so, I want one.
2:28 am Aug 27th, 2007Genie: It really is a great combination!
Cynthia: I got another great vintage baking book from my Aunt last year for my birthday. I’ve been meaning to write a post about that one, too!
JEP: Hope you like them!
Corinne: I don’t know, Jason managed to eat one
Katiez: Hahaha…yes, and the photos in these books are always great too. The women always have perfectly manicured long fingernails and perfect hair…neither of which would survive very long in my kitchen!
Lisa: Thanks for letting me know about using the fresh peaches, maybe I’ll try it with some fresh peaches next! Glad it worked out for you!
Jason: Yes, these are the same muffins that you tasted. I should make more, I want one too!
4:51 pm Aug 27th, 2007Wow, Nicole. These look and sound wonderful! I love the combination of peaches and bananas.
5:07 am Aug 28th, 2007So much fun to cook from this old recipe. They look delicious. What a lovely present you received!
2:45 am Aug 29th, 2007