Mom's Peanut Butter Bread

Peanut butter baked into bread sounds odd until you try it. The peanut butter melts into the dough as it kneads and rises, lending the bread a faintly nutty, slightly sweet character without making it taste like a sandwich filling. A modest hit of brown sugar takes the edge off and brings the kind of light sweetness you would expect from a sandwich loaf, not a dessert bread.

Using chunky peanut butter gives you visible flecks of peanut throughout the crumb, which is half the appeal. Smooth peanut butter works too but produces a more uniform loaf. The bread machine handles everything: water, peanut butter, brown sugar, bread flour, and yeast all go in, then press start. The peanut butter does double duty here, replacing both the fat and a significant chunk of the protein you would normally get from butter and milk.

Kitchen Tips

• Use natural peanut butter only if it is well-stirred and at room temperature. Cold or separated PB throws off the dough hydration.
• Add ingredients in the order your machine specifies (usually wet first, dry next, yeast on top).
• Use the basic white cycle, not whole wheat. The peanut butter adds enough density on its own to slow the rise.
• If the dough looks too dry or too wet during the first knead, adjust with a splash of water or a sprinkle of flour.
• This bread makes legendary peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Try it at least once.

Variations

• Use creamy peanut butter for a smoother crumb without visible peanut chunks.
• Stir in a handful of chocolate chips or raisins for a sweet snacking loaf.
• Substitute almond butter or sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter (helpful for peanut allergies).