Nut Quick Bread

Nut Quick Bread

(Yield: 1 loaf)

2 1/2 cups sifted flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 ucp sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, sat and sugar.  Cut into shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in nuts.

Combine beaten eggs and milk.  Add to dry ingredients, stirring only until all flour is dampened.  Turn into well-greased loaf pan, 9- by 5- by 3-inches.  Push batter up into corners of pan, leaving center slightly hollow.

Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees, about 1 hour.

Variations:

Dried fruit: Increase sugar to 1 cup.  Decrease nuts to 1/2 cup.  Add 1 cup finely cut dried apricots, prunes, or peaches with nuts.

Whole wheat: Substitute 1 cup whole-wheat flour for 1 cup of the white flour.  Do not sift whole-wheat flour.

Peanut butter:  Substitute 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar for white sugar.  Add 1/2 cup peanut butter and cut in with shortening.  Substitute 1/4 cup chopped peanuts for 1 cup chopped nuts.

Brown sugar:  Substitute 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar for 1/2 cup white sugar.