Vanilla Yogurt Lime Bread

Can you tell I'm a little obsessed with lime as of late? It's also because I'm slightly obsessed with my zester... But when I came across a recipe for lemon yogurt bread, well, it looked too darn tasty not to try it out. Of course, I made some substitutions on the lemon front... (I'm also on a little bit of bread making kick, so this was right up my alley. Michael Smith of the Food Network Show Chef at Home had a really great episode the other day that included fresh bread AND cheddar beer soup... sounds like a meal to me.)

I guess technically this loaf falls more into the cake category; it has a little bit of sweetness to it, and I probably wouldn't recommend toasting it, but I certainly recommend warming it up for a few seconds in the microwave and slathering with butter (or serving fresh out of the oven). I made this loaf for the Mother's Day Brunch we were catered,, but now that the loaf is long gone, I think I need to bake up another.

The original recipe called for lemon yogurt with a bit of lemon zest, but all I had in my fridge was vanilla yogurt and a few limes (hey, Michael Smith is inspiring me to cook with what you have, what can I say?). With a little bit of improvising, the loaf turned out really moist and delicious, and definitely one I'd make again (probably this week to take to the cottage for the long weekend, in fact...). I think mixing up the yogurt flavour is a great way to create a different loaf each and every time. Of course, once I find one that I enjoy, I tend to keep making it, but I'm sure I'll try something different soon...once the lime fad has passed. I bet any combination of flavoured yogurt would be really tasty...

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 cup (8 ounces) vanilla yogurt

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon lime zest

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In another bowl, combine the egg, yogurt, oil and lemon juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

2. Pour into an 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

Easy, right?