How many times can you make a quick bread in a year? How many times can you make a quick bread in your life? What do you gain by making so many quick breads? How many quick breads have you made? Is it normal? What is considered an abnormal amount of quick breads that one makes in a year and does it count if there’s a pandemic? These are the questions that go through my head when I make a quick bread. And I realize just how lucky and privileged I am to have such questions.

This came about because I wanted to try out a new pan I bought that is 10” by 4.5” by 3” and just labeled as a bread pan in the fancy grocery store. These alternative dimensions made me excited, as you can probably tell. Is this normal? Hahaha! Also, do you notice the ficus tree in the background? It’s called a ficus benjamina, and is doing terrible. It is such a temperamental tree. It was also much work for me to get it into the frame by propping it up several inches from the floor. After the shoot it ended up tipping over and the soil ended up on the carpet and I had to sweep the soil back into the pot and vacuum the rest. It has lost so many leaves in the last several months and yet I don’t want to get rid of it, even after tipping over and losing some of its soil. Maybe some of this tipping over can help it, I don’t know.

raspberry pistachio bread

ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8th teaspoon pistachio flavor (optional)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 and 1/4 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup pistachios, chopped

method

Heat oven to 350 and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan (or similarly sized pan, like 10” x 4.5”) with parchment paper that overhangs in two opposite sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until blended before adding the next. Add the extract and flavor (if using) and blend in.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt by sifting over the bowl and beating on low just until moistened. Add the sour cream in two increments and stir and fold in with a rubber spatula just until mixed in. Finally fold in the pistachios and raspberries. 

Add batter to prepared loaf pan and bake in oven for about an hour until browned on top and raised in middle with a slight crack on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few crumbs. Remove from oven and remove from pan and let cool on wire rack for 20 minutes or longer before slicing and serving.