This Easy Peanut Butter Quick Bread has just a few simple ingredients that you mix together by hand in one bowl and then pour into a pan and bake. It's soft, tender, delicious, and there's nothing better than topping a slice with your favorite jam or jelly!
If you love peanut butter, you've got to bake a loaf of this peanut butter bread. If you do any baking at all, you probably have everything you need to bake up a loaf right now (which, seriously, you might want to do because it's just that good)!
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What is quick bread?
Quick bread is simply bread that is not leavened (risen) with yeast. Other ingredients, such as baking powder or baking soda, are used instead...which means there is no need for kneading or waiting for the bread to rise. Just mix, pour into a pan, and bake. Done!
The texture of a quick bread will be different than a yeast bread too. It's more similar to a muffin or a dense cake and can be made sweet (think banana bread, zucchini bread, etc.) or savory (cornbread, soda bread, beer bread, etc.).
So, apparently, there was a peanut butter bread recipe that was extremely popular around this time last year when everyone was at home and baking like crazy.
You may have heard it called Depression-era peanut butter bread or 1930s peanut butter bread, and it was from A Guide to Good Cooking by Five Roses Flour in 1932. It was made with just 6 ingredients, and it had no eggs.
Somehow, I totally missed that particular trend, probably because I've already been making a version of that bread for years now, and so I wasn't even looking for it.
I first saw the original recipe on one of Paula Deen's cooking shows. Since there were no eggs, I had my doubts, but it looked good, and so I tried it. And it was very good, but I wanted to see if I could achieve a more cakey texture by adding eggs.
And I wanted just a little more sweetness, so I increased the sugar a bit, used light brown sugar instead of white sugar, and I also added some vanilla extract.
It turned out awesome, and I've been making this version of peanut butter bread ever since!
Ingredients You Need
- Cooking spray
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Peanut butter
How to Make Peanut Butter Quick Bread
Tips & Tidbits
- I have used almond milk when I didn't have any regular milk in the house, and it works fine.
- Yes, you can use crunchy peanut butter if you'd like!
- Don't pull out the mixer for this one. Not only is it not needed, but you don't want to risk over-mixing the batter, which can make the bread dense and tough.
- Be careful not to over-bake, which can cause your bread to be dry and crumbly. Remove it from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter). I start testing it at about 45 minutes, and I do it in a few different spots just to be sure.
- Don't worry if the top of your quick bread has cracks. It's completely normal and common with quick breads because the top sets before the rest of the bread rises.
- If you feel like the top is getting too brown but the bread isn't yet cooked in the middle, tent the top with aluminum foil.
- As with most quick breads, this bread is at its best when freshly baked. After a day or two, even when well-wrapped, it can start to dry out and/or become soggy and sticky on top.
- If you know you're not going to eat the whole thing within that time, I suggest freezing what you don't plan to eat as soon as possible rather than waiting a day or two then freezing. This will preserve the fresh quality so much better.
- You can freeze a whole loaf or individual slices. Once cooled, I wrap it with plastic wrap or wax paper first and then foil. If I'm doing slices, I put the wrapped slices in a freezer bag. For best results, use within 1 to 2 months.
My favorite way to enjoy this bread is slightly toasted and warm and spread with a little butter and some jam (try my Easy Strawberry Refrigerator Jam). Heaven!
Instead of jam, how about some marshmallow fluff or chocolate-hazelnut spread (or both)? Yum!
I hope you try this Easy Peanut Butter Quick Bread recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Quick Bread Recipes to Try
📋Recipe
Easy Peanut Butter Quick Bread
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (your choice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. I use an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan for a slightly taller loaf. A 9x5-inch pan will work too.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, light brown sugar, salt, and baking powder until well-combined.
- Add the milk, eggs and vanilla; stir just until there is no more dry flour.
- Add the peanut butter and stir just it is evenly distributed throughout the batter (no streaks). Note: Be careful not to over-mix, as this can make the bread dense and tough.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan; spread it out, if needed, so it is even.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter). Note: Be careful not to over-bake, as it can cause your bread to be dry and crumbly. Since all ovens are different (and depending on the size pan you use), it may take a little less or more time in your oven. I recommend that you start checking it at 45 minutes, and test it in a few spots just to be sure.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan (about 2 hours) before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don't worry if the top of your quick bread has cracks. It's completely normal and common with quick breads because the top sets before the rest of the bread rises.
- If you feel like the top is getting too brown but the bread isn't yet cooked in the middle, tent the top with aluminum foil.
- As with most quick breads, this bread is at its best when freshly baked. After a day or two, even when well-wrapped, it can start to dry out and/or become soggy and sticky on top.
- If you know you're not going to eat the whole thing within that time, I suggest freezing what you don't plan to eat as soon as possible rather than waiting a day or two then freezing. This will preserve the fresh quality so much better.
- You can freeze a whole loaf or individual slices. Once cooled, I wrap it with plastic wrap or wax paper first and then foil. If I'm doing slices, I put the wrapped slices in a freezer bag. For best results, use within 1 to 2 months.
- Calorie estimate is based on 1 slice of bread.
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