Lettuce Loaf Bread

This moist specialty quick bread recipe appeared in the 1968 Breads for Any Holiday booklet promoted by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Hutchinson.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground mace
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup finely chopped iceberg lettuce
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
½ cup toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour only the bottom and ½” up the sides of an 8 ½” x 4 ½” loaf pan.  
  2. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, mace and ginger. Stir in lettuce.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle or with a handheld electric mixer, combine sugar, oil and lemon zest; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing just until flour is moistened and ingredients are blended.  Don’t over-mix the batter. Stir in nuts.
  5. Pour the batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake 50 - 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Check doneness by inserting thermometer into the top middle of the bread and it should register 205°F - 210°F. 
  6. Let bread cool in the pan on a rack 15 minutes. Transfer the bread to rack and let cool completely before slicing. 
  7. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Store loaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
     

Yield: 1 loaf, 24 slices. 

Note: Quick breads typically have a lengthwise crack (or split) on the top because in the baking process, the top of the loaf "sets" before the bread is finished rising. The split may be minimized by letting the bread stand at room temperature covered 20-30 minutes before baking or covering the top loosely (tenting) with aluminum foil during the first 15 minutes of baking.

Variation: For vivid green color, stir a drop of green food color in batter. Arrange slices of Lettuce Loaf Bread and Cranberry Nut Bread on a serving plate for holiday celebrations.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING (1 SLICE, 30g): 120 calories, 60 calories from fat, 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 15mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium, 15g total carbohydrate, 0g dietary fiber, 9g sugars, 2g protein, 14mcg folate, 0mg vitamin C, 0mg iron