As I was writing this week's instalment of Eye Food, the song sharing the same title as my article (by the Archies) was playing over and over in my head. (I know... I'm strange like that.)
Still, I was inspired to write today's piece after sampling some honey from a friend of mine last week, and my brain was just spinning with food ideas for this natural sweetener. Now be warned; this beautiful bee by-product is sweeter than white sugar, so if you care for the taste of honey as a sweetener, you may be able to get by with using less to sweeten your teas. To be exact, a teaspoon of white sugar has 15 calories and a teaspoon of honey has 21 calories.
Due to space constraints, I was unable to share as many recipes as I would have liked today, but next week I shall include a couple more honey recipes for your table. With that said, here are just a couple of delicious treats that are as easy as bread n' butter!
Enjoy!
Honey Raisin Bread
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup bran cereal
1 cup raisins, chopped
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons melted butter
Method
• Mix together flour, baking powder, soda, bran cereal, raisins, sugar and nuts.
• Combine milk, eggs, honey and butter.
• Stir into dry ingredients and beat until smooth.
• Pour batter into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
• Bake at 350°F for approximately 1 hour (or until done). Check the bread by inserting a wooden skewer into it; if it comes out clean, then it is done.
Serve sliced and buttered.
Honey Butter
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup honey
Method
• Simply mix both ingredients together in a small bowl until well blended.
• Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready for use.