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    Home » Quick Breads

    Peanut Butter Bread

    Published: Dec 10, 2021 · Modified: May 18, 2023 by Madeeha Anwar

    36 shares
    • 6
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This peanut butter bread from the great depression era is packed of creamy peanut butter flavor. This easy peanut butter bread recipe is as easy as it can get. The texture of the bread is moist and tender. This simple recipe requires a few easy ingredients and a simple method to put together. The individual slices of this quick bread are a great treat for breakfast or with a cup of tea and coffee.

    Full shot of the peanut butter loaf on the white plate.

    I love incorporating peanut butter in my bakes especially in cookies such as Peanut Butter Cookies and Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies. During Covid days (thanks god it is behind us now) I got my hands on this 1932's recipe shared on Reddit that became popular during the quarantine in Pandemic. And oh man, did I love it like anything? I absolutely loved this easy quick bread, essentially the drool-worthy peanut butter bread recipe, and it was a great addition to my quick bread collection.

    Do you like quick breads? Try my Banana Bread without Baking Soda, 4-Ingredient Banana Bread and Praline Apple Bread as well.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • It is a 1930's recipe from depression era.
    • You need few simple pantry staple ingredients. 
    • This quick bread is packed with peanut butter flavor. 
    • This delicious peanut butter bread is a simple bake. 
    • You need one hour to bake this bread.
    • Enjoy this moist quick bread in breakfast with a cup of tea of coffee.
    • This bread is even better the next day as the flavor of the peanut butter is more infused.
    • This is a perfect after-school snack for kids. 
    • This is the best peanut butter treat.
    • Enjoy the bread slices with a glass of milk.

    Quick Bread

    Quick breads are essentially a cross between a pound cake and a bread. Have a look at my quick bread recipes on the blog.

    This peanut butter bread falls into the category of quick breads which means there is no use of yeast in making this bread that usually acts as a leavening agent in breads.

    Quick breads are made with batter instead of the dough. Yeast breads made with dough are different in texture and crumb. 

    Tip: Always make sure not to overmix the batter for quick breads or the bread will be tough in texture.

    Loaf pieces on the plate.

    Great Depression Era Recipe

    The Peanut Butter Bread recipe's origination is from the Great Depression Era in the 1930's. In recent times the recipe re-emerged after a Reddit post went viral in 2019. Many home bakers like myself stuck in the Pandemic liked the idea and tried it and found it to be worthy of all the praise. Let's be honest - who doesn’t like peanut butter? And what better way to infuse it into a quick bread.

    This recipe was found in a great depression-era cookbook and was one of the easy quick bread recipe that took the world by surprise, a pleasant one. This loaf of bread is worth trying. 

    Ingredients

    Pro Tip # 1 - Room Temperature Ingredients
    Always use room temperature ingredients (unless otherwise specified) for baking. Ingredients such as butter, eggs and other dairy ingredients like milk, sour cream, yogurt form an emulsion by trapping air inside the batter. The trapped air expands in the oven resulting in perfect baked treats.

    • All-purpose flour: gives structure to this quick bread.
    • Baking powder: leavening agent in this bake.
    • Salt: balances the sugar and enhances the flavor.
    • Butter: use unsalted butter for this recipe.
    • Castor sugar: for sweetness.
    • Peanut butter (chunky): the hero of this recipe. 
    • Vanilla extract: adds aroma to this quick bread.
    • Egg: binding agent in this bread.
    • Peanuts: to sprinkle on the bake.

    Pro Tip # 2 - Digital Scale
    Use a digital scale to measure all-purpose flour and other dry ingredients. To measure with cup, fluff up the all-purpose flour container using a spoon, then scoop out the flour with spoon into the measuring cup. Never scoop out of the container. It may result in more flour than required resulting in dense bakes.

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the baking nonstick spray to a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper in the bottom.
    • In a large bowl sift together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk and set aside.
    • In another large bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter with peanut butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy and creamy.
    • Add the flour mixture and fold until mixed together.
    • Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the peanuts on the top before putting the pan in the middle rack of the oven.
    • Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
    • Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving it to a wire rack.
    Peanut butter applied on the slice with a knife.

    Variations

    • Chocolate Chips: Feel free to add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
    • Nuts: Add ½ cup walnuts or pecans in the batter to make the bread crunchier with nuts.
    • Bananas: Make this bread with bananas. Simply add 2 mashed medium-sized ripe bananas in the mixture and you will get a banana peanut butter bread.
    • Raisins: Add ½ cup of raisins in the batter if you are a fan of raisins.

    Substitutions

    • Almond Milk: Substitute the whole milk with an equal amount of almond milk or other nut or soy milk in this bread batter.
    Peanut butter bread on a plate.

    Expert Tips

    Chunky Peanut Butter (full fat): It is important to use full fat chunky peanut butter for this recipe as it will give you a crunchy bite every time and the rich crumb will melt in your mouth. 

    Sliding peanut butter easily: Spray the measuring cup with baking spray or nonstick spray before adding the peanut butter to it. It will help to slide out the peanut butter easily.

    Stop browning of the top: Check the bread around 40 minutes and if the top is getting a dark brown color, cover it loosely with foil to continue baking without the top getting too brown.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I make this recipe using the blender?

    Yes, absolutely. I use my heavy-duty blender frequently to make the peanut butter bread. It always works like a charm.

    Can I make this peanut flavor bread with gluten-free flour?

    I have not tried doing so but I believe you can replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour in 1:1 ratio. If you try making it with the gluten free flour then do let me know in the comments.

    How To Store

    • The peanut butter bread will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 4 days. I store the breads in an air-tight bread container.
    • This peanut butter loaf will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week.
    • Freeze the bread by wrapping each piece in plastic wrap and further add a layer of aluminum foil to it. Place the slices in a ziplock bag or an airtight container.

    Related

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      Simple & Easy Banana Bread Without Baking Soda
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      Easy & Simple 4-Ingredient Banana Bread Recipe with Video
    • Praline Apple Bread
    • almond flour peanut butter cookies placed in a decorative red bowl with golden vase in the backdrop.
      Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies (Video)

    Did you make this recipe and loved it? Give it a 5-star 🌟 rating with a comment. Join our Classy & Delicious newsletter to get a free ebook and weekly recipes. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Tiktok as well.

    Recipe

    Peanut butter slices on each other.

    Peanut Butter Bread

    Madeeha Anwar
    This peanut butter bread from the great depression era is packed of creamy peanut butter flavor. This easy peanut butter bread recipe is as easy as it can get. The texture of the bread is moist and tender. This simple recipe requires a few easy ingredients and a simple method to put together. The individual slices of this quick bread are a great treat for breakfast or with a cup of tea and coffee.
    5 from 7 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 310 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
    • ¼ cup butter (57 g) room temperature
    • ¾ cup castor sugar (170 g)
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder (10 g)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup chunky peanut butter (250 g) room temperature
    • 1 egg (large)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 g)
    • ¼ cup peanuts (roasted) (32 g) for garnishing

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the baking nonstick spray to a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper in the bottom.
    • In a large bowl sift together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk and set aside.
    • In another large bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter with peanut butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy and creamy.
    • Add the flour mixture and fold until mixed together.
    • Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the peanuts on the top before putting the pan in the middle rack of the oven.
    • Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
    • Let the peanut butter loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.

    Notes

    Chunky Peanut Butter (full fat): It is important to use full fat chunky peanut butter for this recipe as it will give you a crunchy bite every time and the rich crumb will melt in your mouth. 
    Sliding peanut butter easily: Spray the measuring cup with baking spray or nonstick spray before adding the peanut butter to it. It will help to slide out the peanut butter easily.
    Stop browning of the top: Check the bread around 40 minutes and if the top is getting a dark brown color, cover it loosely with foil to continue baking without the top getting too brown.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 138IU | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
    Keyword healthy peanut butter bread, Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Bread, Peanut Butter Bread Reddit, peanut butter loaf cake, sweet peanut butter bread
    Tried this recipe? Tag @classyanddeliciouson Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter !

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jugni A

      March 06, 2022 at 3:29 am

      5 stars
      Unbelievably quick and easy

      Reply
      • Madeeha Anwar

        March 14, 2022 at 3:36 pm

        Thank you Jugni. I am glad it was easy for you to bake.

        Reply
    2. Kim

      April 03, 2022 at 9:11 pm

      Hi Madeeha, I didn't read the recipe until I was halfway through gathering ingredients, but how much butter, milk and orange zest did you add? We improvised and just added 1 cup milk. It's in the oven now - hope it turns out okay! Would like to know how you made yours. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

      Reply
      • Madeeha Anwar

        April 04, 2022 at 4:52 pm

        Hi Kim,
        So good to know you made the recipe. How did it turn out?
        PS: There is no milk and orange zest in this recipe. Thanks.

        Reply
        • Kim

          April 09, 2022 at 12:30 am

          Hi again,
          Your recipe doesn't list how much butter should be added, and the instructions say to add orange zest and milk, so I was confused. Could you please update when you get a chance?Mine turned out okay, a little drier than I would have liked, probably because of the missing fat. It was good for breakfast though! I'll have to try it again as you originally intended. Have a great day.

          Reply
          • Madeeha Anwar

            April 11, 2022 at 2:20 am

            Hi Kim,
            You are right, I forgot to mention butter before. I have added the quantity of butter in the recipe now. Please try it again and hopefully this time it will be perfect 🙂
            Thanks for pointing it out.

            Reply

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