Welcome to the second annual Brunch Week, hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen! We have 32 bloggers bringing you their best brunch game from May 5th-11th. From cocktails to eggs benedict to donuts, there is something for everyone this week. Our amazing sponsors have donated some great prizes for a gigantic giveaway as well. Please visit them all for more information.
If you make them right, quick breads can be fairly healthy as well. For this vanilla chai loaf, I replaced the oil with some applesauce, and swapped out half of the flour for whole wheat pastry flour (I used Bob's Red Mill).
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 4 bags chai tea
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons applesauce
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
- Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. There should be bubbles just beginning to form around the edges. As soon as the milk is warm, remove it from the heat. Add the four bags of chai tea, and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
- Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla bean seeds together in a mixing bowl, and create a well in the middle.
- Measure out 2 tablespoons of the milk and set aside for the glaze. Add the rest of the milk, as well as the applesauce and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined, and pour into the loaf pan.
- Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the edges are browned and pulling away from the edges of the pan.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then slide a knife around the edge. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the bread is mostly cooled, stir the powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds into the reserved 2 tablespoons of milk. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk, a teaspoon at a time. If it is too thin, add some more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
- Drizzle the glaze over the quick bread and allow it to firm up before slicing the bread.
Make Ahead and Storage
This bread is best eaten fresh. Here's how to store the leftovers.
Check out what everyone else made for #BrunchWeek!
Beverages:
- Mother’s Tea from The Vintage Cook
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Shrub from Healthy.Delicious.
- Smoky Chipotle Bloody Mary from Sarcastic Cooking
- Elderberry Whiskey Peach Smash from {i love} my disorganized life
- Moscato Mojitos from Real Housemoms
Eggs:
- Duck Hash from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Cracked Crab Artichoke Benedict from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Pancetta and Veggie Breakfast Skillet from Eat Your Heart Out
- The Mess from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine
Mains:
- Spinach, Apple & Chicken Salad from White Lights on Wednesday
Breads:
- French Toast Bake with Peaches and Almond Streusel from Food Faith Fitness
- Mini Carrot Cake Pancake Stacks from Neighborfood
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies from The Spiffy Cookie
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Baked Oatmeal from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Croque Madame Waffle from Hip Foodie Mom
- Vanilla Chai Quick Bread from Savvy Eats
- Blueberry Coffee Cake from My Catholic Kitchen
- DIY Instant Oatmeal Bar from The Kitchen Prep
Fruit and Sides:
- Lemon Blueberry Parfait from Love and Confections
- Berry Mint Salad from Cooking In Stilettos
Desserts:
- Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Cookies from Hungry Couple
- Lemon Curd Mousse Sugar Cookie Cups from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
- Cinnamon Coffee Cake from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
Don’t forget to enter the #BrunchWeek giveaway – there are a ton of awesome prizes for you to win! Find more information and enter here.
A huge thank you to all our amazing #BrunchWeek sponsors. Please follow these lovely folks on their social media sites:
Bob’s Red Mill – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
Whole Foods Market Orlando Faceboook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,
Stemilt – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blog
Baloian Farms – Facebook
Woot Froot – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Vidalia Onion – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Grimmway Farms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
Bonne Maman – Pinterest
Psst: California Walnuts, Bob’s Red Mill, Oxo, Dixie Crystals, Whole Foods Market Doctor Phillips, Grimmway Farms, Woot Froot, Vidalia Onion, Baloian Farms, Stemilt and Bonne Maman are providing the prizes free of charge. I have received product related to these brands to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions stated are my own.
I love a good quick bread and love that you used half AP and half whole wheat pastry flour!! yummm!! and I need to get my hands on Bonne Maman’s orange marmalade, yummmm!
My hubby loves all things chai, and I am always looking for snacks to send in his lunch to work! Perfect! Pinned!
I think your husband and I could be friends – chai is my favorite!
Great recipe, Julie! I love the recipes that are “no brainers”, where I can be eating instead of waiting for things to rise and messing up formulas and burning things. Ooops… think I’m harboring some resentment from my last failed attempt at a yeast bread. Don’t mind the crazy lady
Oh no! Hope your next attempt goes more smoothly!
What a great recipe and looks super tasty.
I have to disagree that applesauce is healthier than oil. The only thing this substitution does is lower the calorie level. Our bodies need fats, so they can utilize fat-soluble nutrients. If lower calorie equates to healthier, it’s a very narrow view of healthy. If you want to lower the calories, I would think that using half oil and half applesauce would be a better choice. All that aside, this quick bread sounds very good.
I see your point, Susan. For me, I get plenty of healthy fats throughout the day from other sources – avocado with my breakfast eggs, peanut and almond butters, etc. So in some cases, I do want a snack with a lower amount of fat, so I’m not going overboard. But I see where you’re coming from.
I’m glad to hear that you do get your healthy fats. Balance is so important for health. And I understand about wanting lower fat snacks.
what would suggestion be for vanilla extract? looks great!
You mean what brand of vanilla? For this bread, I used an extract I had made myself with vodka and vanilla beans. But as long as your use real vanilla extract, and not imitation, anything should be fine!
oh, sorry – I didn’t realize you used both. I meant instead of the bean (I don’t have, and will not be buying, any). Thanks!
You can leave them out of the glaze – it will just be a little less vanilla-flavored. As for the bread itself, you can increase the vanilla extract by 1/2 teaspoon. Or if you have vanilla bean paste, 1/2 teaspoon of that would be even better!
It’s been far too long since I have made quick bread. Great way to use those preserves!
I’ve never tried a healthier take on a quickbread, but I have almost all of these ingredients on hand. I think I’ll give it a try soon!
Omg. Can I please request a slice of this when I pick you up from the airport on Thursday?!?!?! It sounds amazing!!!!!