Bodybuilder Breakfast Bread

So I'm bulking up this winter, lifting weights a lot and trying to take advantage of the calorie rich season to pack on a few more pounds of muscle.  That doesn't mean eating everything in sight, but does mean eating plenty of calories. 

Usually for breakfast, I have a protein shake with two servings of oatmeal with fruit, or maybe some whole grain cereal, but have been a little bored with that recently and wanted something more caloric dense but less filling that a giant bowl of oatmeal.  So instead I decided to return to baking bread once a week, now on Sunday's, and that bread can be the mainstay of my breakfast for a while along with a protein shake or a cup of yogurt.

It is also a great quick snack; I take a slice with me to have between classes.

So, for this bread, I had two three things in mind: calorically dense but with healthier calories, some quality protein, and high fiber since breakfast is a meal I always ensure has adequate fiber.  This recipe I created fit the bill for that. 

I add 10-12 grams of l-leucine, a BCAA to the flour as I am baking it.  I do not know if it survives the baking process of has any actual benefit, but I had it and wanted to try.  It is undetectable in the baked bread.  Next time, I'm going to add 1/2 cup of unflavored whey protein and see how it turns out.  I'll make a comment once I've tried it and let folks know how it worked.



Makes 12 Servings

We get this on Amazon & love it for waffles and baking.

2 Cups Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Mix
1½ Cups Whole Wheat Unbleached Flour
1 Cup Oat Flour
3 Overripe Bananas
¼ Cup Sweetened Dried Cranberries
3/4  Cup Organic Raisins
1 Cup Almonds, Powered in a Food Processor
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
¼ Cup Raw Honey
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup of warm filtered water
2 ½ teaspoons active yeast dissolved in the warm water
1 teaspoon sugar also dissolved in the warm water
Optional: 10-12 grams l-leucine powder (a BCAA)

Mix everything together—a non-stick bowl works great
Mix until it begins “sticking together” and knead for 5-8 minutes; I like it kneaded longer to really create a stiff crust.
Let sit in bowl after needed about 1 hour until it has risen about ½ again as large as it was
Transfer to lightly oiled or non-stick baking pan, or just put onto a baking sheet and shape into a rough loaf, and let rise an additional 30 minutes to an hour before baking.

Put in a PREHEATED oven at 350 degrees

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until cooked all the way through. 

When the top appears done in the middle, you can take it out, remove it, and cut it in two. If the middle is still gooey and sticks to a toothpick, then bake longer. Note, however, that the inside of this bread will remain slightly gummy until it cools.

Here is the nutritional information:

430 calories per serving
55 grams of carbohydrates
20 grams of fat
13 grams of protein

 7 grams of fiber
16.5 grams sugar
6% RDA Calcium
10% RDA Iron 

If you use MyFitnessPal, you may be able to find this by searching for "Builder Bread."

Hawai'ian Philosophers' Vegan Banana Nut Bread

Here is an original bread recipe that turned out fantastic, so I had to share it. This isn't a “dessert” like banana nut breads you may be used to—this is really a full-bodied but delicious whole wheat bread that is just slightly sweet but mostly from the currants and raisins. I use mostly organic ingredients, but that doesn't change the taste, I'm sure.

Go easy on it, though; I figure this recipe makes 12 slices of bread (¾ inch thick); if so, each slice has about 250 calories, 7.5 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. I'll try it without the oil next week (I bake bread once a week) and let you know how it turns out (that would reduce each slice by 40 calories and the fat by 4.5 grams per slice). Since this turned out well and is not something I need to eat an entire loaf of this week, I'll be talking ¾ of it to a philosophy colloquium today--hence, I christened it "Philosopher's Vegan Banana Yeast Bread."

3 ½ Cups Organic Whole Wheat Unbleached Flour
3 Overripe Organic Bananas
¼ Cup Organic Currants
¼ Cup Organic Raisins
¼ Cup Raw Unsalted Macadamias
¼ Cup Molasses
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2/3 to 1 cup of warm filtered water
2 ½ teaspoons active yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water

Mix everything together—a non-stick bowl works great
Mix until it begins “sticking together” and knead for 3-5 minutes
Transfer to a 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” baking pan
Let sit in bowl after needed about 1 hour until it has risen about ½ again as large as it was
Transfer to lightly oiled or non-stick baking pan and let rise an additional 30 minutes to an hour, until it has crested over the top of the pan
Lightly rub about 1 teaspoon or less of molasses over the top and sprinkle with whole oats
Put in a PREHEATED oven at 350 degrees
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked all the way through. When the top appears done in the middle, you can take it out, remove it, and cut it in two. If the middle is still gooey and sticks to a toothpick, then bake longer. Note, however, that the inside of this bread will remain slightly gummy until it cools.

Calorie Breakdown of Ingredients: 1540 Whole Wheat Flour, 230 Molasses, 240 Macadamias, 300 Bananas, 130 Raisins, 100 Currents, 480 Oil