Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 large eggs
1/3 c. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. white vinegar
2/3 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8 1/2”-x-4 1/2” loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment.Step 2Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, whisk eggs until light and frothy, about 3 minutes. Begin gradually adding in sugar and salt while continuing to whip, until eggs become fluffy and ribbony, 4 to 5 minutes more.Step 3Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together milk, vinegar, and peanut butter until mostly smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, and flour.Step 4Alternate adding half the flour mixture and half the milk mixture to the egg mixture, slowly mixing for 5 to 10 seconds before each addition. Gently fold mixture together until batter is completely smooth, then pour into prepared pan.Step 5Bake until top is deeply golden and sides begin to peel away from the pan, about 1 hour.Step 6Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to cooling rack. For clean slices, let loaf cool completely before slicing.
A slight upgrade The original peanut butter bread only calls for six ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, peanut butter, and milk. Our version is enriched with two whipped eggs, for a super soft and tender crumb. For the perfect texture, with just the right amount of airiness and sturdiness to best mimic sandwich bread, don’t skip the long mixing process on the eggs: It’s crucial to incorporate enough air into the eggs first to achieve bread-like fluffiness. If you’d like an eggless version, you can substitute with 1/3 cup more milk for a lighter bake, or with a slightly heaping 1/3 cup yogurt or sour cream for a richer slice. We’re also calling for both baking powder and baking soda, and adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to react with the baking soda. While baking powder and baking soda are both chemical leaveners, they each provide a different kind of lift to baked goods. Using baking powder alone tends to result in a rise with a denser crumb, while baking soda tends to have a more powerful reaction that results in bigger air bubbles. For our peanut butter bread, we want a good mix of these two to create a slice that has a tight but airy crumb—sturdy but not dense, moist and tender but not crumbly. With just 1/3 cup of sugar, this bread isn’t cornered into being dessert. It’s got a noticeable hint of peanut butter but not overwhelmingly so. It’s borderline rich but definitely not cloying. All of this to say, it’s absolutely versatile. It’s good toasted with butter. It’s perfect with jam for a PB&J vibe. It’s sturdy enough to pass as sandwich bread—and if you’re open-minded enough, it might just be the ideal bread to put a twist on this ham & cheese melt with. This bread will keep at room temperature in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days—after that, it’ll get noticeably stale. You can slice the fresh loaf up and freeze it for longer storage, or let it go stale and turn it into this insanely delicious PB&J bread pudding. If you’ve made this recipe, we want to hear from you! Please leave us a comment and rating down below to let us know how you liked it.
