*This recipe is nut and peanut-free.”

Our family has breakfast for dinner at least once a week. This delicious bread was born out of a desire to replace our store-bought muffin mixes with a healthier, tastier option.

It’s all about the spice. I discovered Chinese 5 Spice in 2016, and since then have been incorporating it into all kinds of baked goods. The premise of the spice is that it includes salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and bitter flavors. Usually, you’ll find it is comprised of some kind of pepper, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, and cloves. If you haven’t tried it, you must! It’s amazing in breads, muffins, pumpkin pie, and spicy fruit dips. Of course, you can also use it in traditional Asian savory cooking as well.

This spiced bread is very moist, not dry at all. It’s terrific on its own, or you can sneak a little light spreadable cream cheese or butter on top. At Christmas, I’ll pour the batter into a gingerbread pan to have on Christmas morning.

Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs

What you’ll need

• loaf pan
• large bowl
• measuring cups/spoons
• whisk
• rubber spatula

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Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Whisk dry ingredients first.

Next, whisk in applesauce and eggs until just combined.

Pour into a greased loaf pan, and bake 50-60 minutes or until a knife entered into the center comes out clean.

If baking muffins, cook 15-20 minutes until done. They also make great mini loaves!

Enjoy! 

The secret of happiness is variety, but the secret of variety, like the secret of all spices, is knowing when to use it.

– Daniel Gilbert, psychologist