I realize that I haven’t been the most reasonable person lately.
I’ve been tempting you with Doughnut Muffins topped with glossy chocolate glaze.
Those Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts were pretty absurd, right?
And Buttermilk Onion Rings? Come on… it’s just too much.
Maybe I’m trying to make up for something. Maybe what I don’t want to tell you about it the array of stoooopid movies in my Netflix queue. Maybe I want to distract you from the ridiculous amount of money I paid for a sweater at The Gap, of all places. Geez… Gap… like it’s the 90’s again. (I obviously used to shop at The Gap a lot in the 90’s… whatever.)
The point is, I busted out the whole wheat flour today… as a sort of apology.
Moreover… if you can count the number of sunflower seeds in this picture I’ll give you two thousand dollars.
Not true. But I did just say ‘moreover’…. that was mildly entertaining… to me at least.
I’m fond of this quick bread recipe.
Sunflower seeds are roasted and salted and folded into a simple whole wheat and buttermilk batter.
The bread is pretty dense, but not dry. Let’s call it… hearty. It’s not too sweet and has just a touch of salt and crunch.
I like it best served slightly warm with a bit of butter and honey. Yes… I just added more fat and sugar to my healthy bread. I can’t really help myself.
Whole Wheat Sunflower Seed Bread
adapted from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook
makes two 9x4x3-inch loaves
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds
*If you have raw sunflower seeds, toss them with 1 teaspoon olive oil and one scant teaspoon salt and bake on a cookie sheet for 12 minutes (or until slightly browned) in a 350 degree F oven. Let cool before incorporating into the bread batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9x4x3-inch bread pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, eggs, buttermilk and melted butter.
Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Fold to incorporate. Try not to overmix the batter. Once the flour has almost disappeared fold in the 3/4 cup of the sunflower seeds (reserving some seeds to garnish the top). Fold until no flour bits remain.
Divide batter between the two pans. This will create smaller loaves… not huge loaves… just so you know. Bake for 35-40 minutes, being sure not to over-bake and dry out the bread.
Remove from oven and let rest in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks. Serve warm or wrap tightly and freeze. Awesome.
ahs texas
Hi, I do think this is a great web site. I
stumbledupon it ;) I’m going to come back yet again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
Mrs. Brown
Question- could this be used for sandwich bread? I really like sunflower seed bread… and I’d really like to make my own, but yeast terrifies me… I know that’s probably really stupid, but ya know, “quick” bread is just so much easier and well, less terrifying. Thoughts?!?
joythebaker
this bread is a bit too dense and sweet for sandwich bread.
Annabel
So glad you have finally adapted a Tate’s recipe! I live right near the bakery and they have THE BEST chocolate chip cookies. Like, ever to exist. Seriously. You totes have to make them. Did I just say totes? Yeah I think I did…. But, this is no joke… If you could try and make any of their other recipes and post the pictures, I would just die. It would be soooo amazing. Pretty pretty please? With a cherry on top? I love your blog! So much! So…. Thanks!
chels
This was my most favorite quick bread I’ve ever made. Even more than my chocolate chip bourbon banana bread. Which is strange since it is buttermilk vs chocolate. Anyway. I threw some raisins into the second loaf (then panicked because I realized it could be gross) and the salty sweet contrast was ultra great. I think parmesan cheese would be amazing on this bread too! Ack! Ideas. Yadda yadda yadda, I am saying a lot of inane things. Point is, I loved this bread, Joy. Thank you!
Anna
Any idea how much time you should divide the batter for mini loaves? Or for how long to bake them?
joythebaker
If you’re making mini loaves, the cooking time will be cut down for sure. I just can’t tell you how long without baking this recipe up myself. Hm. Just bake them until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Keep an eye on it!
Hope
Pretty absurd? Absolutely! Those pumpkin pie poptarts were the highlight of many of my friends’ winter! I made them at the little cafe at my school and they sold out within a couple of hours. Better than ‘as fast as hotcakes’. Thank you thank you, Joy! Even though my friends and boyfriend call me their Baking Queen- a lot of my decisions in baking menu I can attribute to you.
Those poptarts WERE so scrumptious.
Thanks!
megan
I’ve been living on this bread recently! (Often using yoghurt instead of buttermilk now though) Om nom nom.
Kate
I’ve made this twice, it’s delicious! I added 2 cups of grated zucchini the second time I made it and the loaves came out really moist.
kandice
My daughter and I made this bread tonight. It was a BIG HIT! My picky eater loved it. I repeat. He loved it. Thank you!
Brittany
I have this in the oven right now!!! A friend of mine introduced me to your blog a couple days ago… this is the second recipe I’ve tried (the first being the AMAZING vegan pumpkin walnut bread). I have a feeling I’m never going to lose the ten pounds I’ve been struggling to get off! My only consolation is that my apartment will be smelling like baked goods and my tummy will be happy!
Adi
I just made this! A slice spread with butter and honey was perfection. Chewy and nutty and salty/sweet…I can’t wait to have this for breakfast all week!
Carly
I’m kind of surprised the first thing I make from your blog involves whole wheat, but I read this after a long weekend with visiting in laws and much eating out, and I was craving something healthy-ish to make for a weeks worth of breakfasts. This was delicious. I have been eating it with butter, honey, and a sprinkle of salt because I cannot get enough of the sweet/salty combo. Thanks!
Michelle
People, this is sooooo good! I made it last night and the kids and I are eating it for breakfast this morning, lightly toasted w/ a little butter melted on top and a drizzle of honey. I’d also love to try it with Apple Butter as Ashley suggested! YUM!
angie
oh wow….this looks REALLY good!!!
Irene
Hi Joy! Honestly, I’m disappointed with this post, it’s just too healthy ;)
Steph
Ooo, I can’t wait to try this. I am as awful at baking bread as I am good at eating bread…but quick bread…maybe I can pull this off…
allyson
I made the bread this afternoon and it turned out awesome! It is taking most of my will power not to eat an entire loaf myself. :)
Kandice
Earlier today my six year old daughter asked me if we could try baking some bread. This seems like a perfect “first” bread to try. Thanks for the recipe!
ellan
holy crap, i just made this and my husband and i devoured it…..so freakin good :) perfect sweet-to-salty ratio. i just copied the recipe into my go-to-family-recipe-journal….thanks so much!
Dava
Easy, fast and freezes? The big three wins again.
Hils
Joy, this looks suspiciously like an excellent adaptation of the Northern Irish delicacy that is known as Wheaten Bread. See, my nation is not well regarded on the world-cuisine stage, but we do baking very, very well – and this lovely quick bread is eaten on a daily basis in every house around the country. Seriously, my parents eat it with every meal. Can’t wait to try yours! PS I LOVE YOUR BLOG.
Vicki
This recipe looks awesome!!! Do you know if the loaves freeze well?
joythebaker
they freeze well! heck yes.
Elle B.
YES! A hearty, wheat bread with NO NUTS! Thank you, Joy! This peanut and tree nut allergic girl is one happy camper today. Hope you have a fabulous weekend. :)
Nicole @ The Dirty Oven
Oh Joy…this looks just like Judy’s Love Stick (yes, I know odd name) a bread that they sell at Trader Joes. I can’t buy it anymore as I tend to eat the whole thing…. and my thighs told me stop that habit.
I am going to have to break my rule and make your bread…maybe give it away at work to get it out of the house fast! Thanks for sharing from a carbo loving gal and my thighs.
Elana
This looks lovely!
laura
Hello,
This has nothing to do with sunflower seed bread, but I made a version of your Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake because I finally have measuring cups – shiny ones!! I’m weird and British and didn’t own any, and this was becoming problematic because I’ve been reading your blog for ages (I thank you for keeping me amused) and it was getting in the way of me making any of your recipes and they haunted me…seriously.
Anyway, my point is this escapade has resulted in the following conclusion: you are some sort of Cake God. I hope that’s ok with you :)
I fear my family may be living off various cake-like substances for a very long time…or at least until I lose my measuring cups.
joythebaker
this is the best news ever!
Rocky Mountain Woman
As a bonafide sunflower addict (I have papers prove it), I am leaving work early today to make this…..
It’s the right thing to do…
Ashley
This looks delicious! I am thinking… lightly toasted with some local Apple Butter! YUM!
Erika
I love quick bread recipes, but don’t see a lot featuring whole wheat flour. Thanks for sharing! I’ll be making this very soon.
OLGA RIOFRIO
Looks so good.
I love Sunflowers and I eat a lot.
I am going to try your recipe.
Regards
Olga.
Mrs. Smith at One Smith Day
That looks so good!!
pam
ohhh….looks like that sunflower “breadstick” they make at Trader Joe’s. Only they switched the bakery or the recipe because now it’s hard in an overcooked sort of way. Can’t wait to try this! yummmm…
Stephanie
Joy! It is completely unnecessary to apologize for donut muffins and buttermilk onion rings. This looks pretty good too…but seriously. More things along the lines of the donut muffins. I love the donut muffins. I could marry the donut muffins!
Becca
This does seem like a really good bread recipe. i should try it out some time (that is if my family decides to actualy eat more than one of whatever i bake…hmmm) and so what about adding honey and butter. honey is a natural sweetner so its healthy right…? ;)
Emma
This is my kind of bread, wholesome and grainy, yum. Would be great with butter and a cup of tea.
Vicki B
Adorable kitty!
nancy k.
I just inhaled a piece of this bread, warm from the oven. It is soooo delicious. I have a feeling dinner tonight might be very carb loaded…with maybe some protein from peanut butter.
I used whole wheat pastry flour…it was all I had…and it seemed to work well as a substitute.
This will go in my “favorite recipe” file for sure. Thanks, Joy!
joythebaker
yes!
Kaitlin With Honey
This bread looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it with some hot tomato soup. Mmm!
Kristen
I have never made bread before, but that looks really good.
Nancy
We have a church bake sale coming up in November. Guess what I’ll be baking??
Thanks for the great recipes. Keep up the good work
pilar
the bread looks great, maybe some nutella or dulce de leche on it will make it perfect for me…I laughed a lot…just as Kate did…
Rachel
Yum!
I’ve been looking for a good, not-sweet quick bread. Hearty and dense are musts!
Em
Talking of sunflower seeds…
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/10/11/sunflower-seeds-2010-by-ai-weiwei/
..and the bread looks lush. Is it bad I want to smear a piece with peanut butter?
Cathy B. @ Bright Bakes
I’m imagining this with a smear of homemade apple butter and a slice of white cheddar…LIKE!
love,
cathy b.@ brightbakes
evan @ thesaltypear
We made a great banana bread that this reminds me of, there’s nothing like a good nutty crunch on top of a loaf to give it some substance and character! http://thesaltypear.blogspot.com/2010/03/bodacious-banana-bread.html
Lindsay
OMG it’s like you read my mind!! I love your blog, I should probably comment more. To tell you. That I love you.
I was just thinking that I need to find a good wheaty bread recipe WITH sunflowers so I don’t have to keep on buying it. Thank you thank you!!
Jessica @ bake me away!
Ahh, whole wheat is a good idea. I made cookies a couple days ago and had to have a light salad for dinner last night to make up for all the cookies I’ve consumed. Really love the addition of sunflower seeds and that this bread is quick!
The Gap is where I buy my jeans because theirs seem to fit best. Last night my kitty threw up on the Gap bag that was on my floor. Gross, but easy cleanup…and somewhat related to topics in this post. Keep the kitten pictures coming!
Emily
Please please pretty please follow in the steps of Smitten Kitchen and include a link to a picture of the kitten in each post. Please? I know she does it with her baby son but, c’mon, this kitten is KILLING ME.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
I love nom-nom’ing on sunflower seeds and I think I’d love this bread even more. Thanks for sharing, Joy! Hopefully the kitty saved you a piece.
CookiePie
Looks delicious! Why do I have a feeling that even a healthy recipe of yours would somehow taste yummy and decadent?? :)
katie@cozydelicious
Ooooh this bread looks awesome. I’m thinking thin slices toasted and topped with mayo and cucumbers.
Joy have you ever tried this with other seeds? I have a huge bag of pepitas. Wondering how that would work…
S.
Who didn’t do most of their 90’s shopping at the GAP!? Bread looks delish!
Holly
Bread is my weakness!! This looks so amazing, and easy too. I can’t wait to make this. Looks perfect for Fall!
Elana Iaciofano
Moreover…this looks fabulous!
Michele
The bread looks great. I love Tate’s Cookbook. Her bakery in NY is amazing, everything is delicious! Makes me miss home…
thedelishdish
gorgeous!! this looks so wholesome!
the blissful baker
i love all your recipes, whether healthy or not! :) this bread looks wholesome and delicious!
Lauren at KeepItSweet
yum! i might have to try this soon
Laura @ SweetSavoryPlanet
I have a collection of Quick Bread recipes and am always looking for a hearty version. I love whole grains and baking with buttermilk. This is a win-win recipe for me.
741 sunflower seeds.
Kate
I am not going to comment on your post (although… Yum!). I am going to comment on your link to the chocolate chip cookie dough balls to the right of the bread recipe (balls… [snicker]). I didn’t just laugh, I snorted too. My cubical mate wanted to know what was so funny… she didn’t think it was as funny as I did and gave me a weird look. I now feel very juvenile and a little embarrassed. : )
Thanks for the morning laugh!
joythebaker
balls are always funny.
laura @ alittlebarefoot
this looks nice and healthy (comparatively speaking). and if kittens like it too, that’s enough of an endorsement for me!
Heather (Heather's Dish)
well, i know what i’m making my sister this weekend when i see her! she is going to LOVE this!
Carla
two loaves – that’s a lot of bread. i want only one – but what would the measurements be? i feel like just halving them will mess with the chemistry.
Ali @ Three Baking Sheets
Gap Easy Fit, 30-30s. Those were my jam back in HS (at least until I got out of my Cobain phase.)
Diane
i like the word moreover. i also like the word nevertheless.
Reagan @ Recipesmademyway
I usually don’t like “chunkers” in my bread, but I must admit that looks pretty good! :)
Dinetonite
Roasted sunflower seeds are so delicious. Thanks for shaaaaring! :D
Amalia
I like the idea a lot! not much butter, but enough to make a difference. My mom will love this bread! I hate it that I don’t have a loaf pan. I need one now. Thanks!
-Amalia
HappyWhenNotHungry
I love baking with whole wheat flower! I’d say 325 sunflower seeds?
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday
I made a sunflower seed bread last weekend, except it was a yeast bread. It turned out to be very delicious! It’s a bit more work than a quick bread like this but I really do prefer yeast bread.
Rebekah Randolph
Dude, nothing wrong with butter. I’m a firm believer in “good fats,” and butter’s one of them. We’ve all been terrorized into avoiding it but the gross substitutions are even worse for us!
Um… I will get off that soapbox now, and say that your bread looks fantastic, and I will be making it soon.
Jenna
Joy, I kind of miss the chocolate. I would spread nutella on a slice of this, ya feel me?
Looks great! :)
Rachel (Two Healthy Plates)
I love bread with sunflower nuts, this looks so delicious!
Kylie @ A Hungry Spoon
LOVE it! I throw as many nuts as I can into every quick bread I make, but I haven’t made any bread with sunflower seeds. I’m super excited this is a quick bread, too–don’t think I could take the long yeast-bread making process this week. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe :)
Katrina
I’m glad to see a healthy quick bread on here! This looks so good!
Ami @ beyondpeasandcarrots
totally making this this weekend!
The Blue-Eyed Bakers
Of course you just have to add butter, honey…and maybe peanut butter if you’re us…to such a perfectly delicious and healthy looking quick bread. It’s all about balance right?
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
682!
Okay, no, I didn’t really try to count the sunflower seeds :) I love the idea of their salty goodness in bread, though. Yum!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
LOTS of sunflower seeds!! Like 3000.
Thetreadmilldiaries
Love anything with sunflower seeds. Definitely want to make this at home.
Estela @ Weekly Bite
Oops… I meant to say “Taste Good” with sunflower butter on top :)
Estela @ Weekly Bite
I bet this would take good with sunflower butter on top!
Sandy Smith
A quick bread with whole wheat? Luuuuuv. Plus a kitten? I swoon.
martina
How did you named the little cute cat? He’s to die for.
Martina
peachkins
love the look of that bread!
Tora
Can’t really beat some freshly baked bread! Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom!
Roasted sunflower seeds are so delicious. Thanks for shaaaaring! :D
Wei-Wei
394 sunflower seeds. :] (wouldn’t this count as a quickbread, since it has no rise?
Gen
I like the way you enjoy life! Your food is so tasty ^^
notyet100
i have been thinking of baking bread since a long time,thnks fro the recipe
Joe @ Eden Kitchen
Cute recipe, I love how you toasted the sunflower seeds first. I know what I’m having for brunch this Sunday :)
Kocinera
I believe that there are 864 sunflower seeds in that picture. Money, please?
Actually, I’d rather be paid in that sunflower seed bread.
Yes, that would be very satisfactory. :D
Leah
I love this bread, and that you can freeze it is awesome!
Fizzie
I’m guessing about 385 sunflower seeds.