This Peanut Butter Bread is a vegan version of the 1930s' peanut butter bread that was popular during the US Great Depression when budgeting, making-do, and substituting ingredients was key to survival. More recently, Peanut Butter Bread has made a comeback due to the global pandemic where it became a popular lockdown bake! This recipe uses every-day pantry ingredients and no margarine or oil is required.
Peanut butter bread is a great recipe to have-to-hand as it's an easy, quick, and budget-friendly bake that can be jazzed up with either sweet or savoury spreads such as fruit jams & marmalades, chocolate spread, mashed banana, dairy-free cream cheese, as well as slices of fresh fruit.
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What was the depression era?
The Depression Era, also known as the Great Depression, began in the summer of 1929 in the United States following a major fall in stock prices, and extended until 1939, ending with the start of World War II. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century, and resulted in high unemployment rates and widespread poverty. The economic crisis of the Great Depression had a huge effect as many people lost their jobs, so families had to stretch their money and make do with what they had.
Frugality and making do in the depression era
People suddenly found that to survive they had to become more resourceful and find ways to make their food last. They learned to use every part of the food they had, including parts that would normally be discarded. For example, bones from a roast could be boiled to make a cheap broth, stale bread could be used for bread pudding or breadcrumbs, and overripe bananas could be used to prepare banana bread.
The U.S. government created programs to help families in need and one of these was the introduction of food stamps which provided staple foods like flour, cornmeal, and canned foods. With some foods hard to come by, cooks became experts at finding substitutions and they would often replace more expensive ingredients with cheaper alternatives, such as using applesauce instead of butter in baking.
Recipes from the Depression Era usually included inexpensive ingredients and were designed to stretch more expensive ingredients. Casseroles and stews, which could be made in large batches and stretch small amounts of meat, were common. Dishes like meatloaf, macaroni cheese, creamed chipped beef [have a look at our version creamed chickpeas on toast!], creamed corn soup, American goulash, chocolate cake [made with vinegar instead of eggs], and many variations of beans and rice dishes became very popular due to their budget-friendly ingredients.
This resourcefullness had a lasting impact which influenced home cooking for many generations. Even now many people look back fondly at their grandmas or great grandmas recipes, recreating the nostalgic recipes which despite their humble ingredients tasted all the nicer because of their amazing history.
We can learn alot from those frugal depression era cooks especially during our modern economic hardships, food shortages, and the recent pandemic we all experienced. We can look back and see how people managed by developing their resourcefulness, resilience, making-do, adapting, and valuing the benefits of good home-cooking. Besides the recipes are easy and just taste good.
Peanut Butter Bread may hail from the Great Depression era of the 1930s but this bread is too good to stay in the past. This is a no-egg and no-dairy peanut butter bread and is easily baked with everyday pantry ingredients so is perfect for everyday baking. If you are allergic to peanuts replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter for a Sunflower Seed Butter Bread. Or try a toasted soya spread such as the Wowbutter brand which is a good peanut butter alternative.
Peanut butter bread and the Great Depression
Peanut butter bread is a type of quick no-yeast sweet bread. The ingredients for peanut butter bread were every-day pantry ingredients that would have been easy to source during the Great Depression. Peanuts were readily available and as they were high in protein and energy, this meant that a quick home-baked bread prepared with peanut butter was a really useful recipe to have.
An example of an old peanut bread or loaf comes from the "Five Roses Cookbook; Bread Pastry Etc," [1915] a cookbook that was published in the early 20th century and this amongst many other Five Roses cookbooks became staples in many Canadian homes. The old-fashioned 5 Roses recipe is titled ''Peanut Loaf'' and calls for ''4 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of flour, 1 egg, 1 ½ cups of Five Roses flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, ½ cup of milk, and 1 cup of peanuts [cut fine].'' The instructions are simply to 'Bake in a loaf''! [pg106]
ONLINE SOURCE: archive.org [retrieved on 20th June, 2023].
Cutting the peanuts fine would have released the peanuts oil and depending on how fine they were cut or ground may have resulted in a rustic home-made peanut butter which would be perfect for peanut bread.
During the recent pandemic, there was a resurgence in the popularity of peanut butter bread mainly fueled by lockdown baking crazes and the depression era peanut butter bread won the hearts of many people!
Vegan depression era peanut butter bread
A vegan version of a peanut butter bread is not as strange as it may sound as during the Great Depression many cakes, cookies, biscuits, and bread recipes were supplied by flour companies that substituted eggs as well as dairy ingredients as these staples were very expensive and harder to source. Applesauce was a popular butter replacement for certain bakes.
Ingredients
The 7 ingredients you will need are:
- plain or all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- soft/light brown sugar
- salt, optional (if your peanut butter has salt added then extra salt can be omitted)
- plant-based milk
- vanilla
- peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
How to prepare
Preparing this vegan peanut butter bread is so simple that it will likely become a staple in your home as it has in ours. It's just perfect for a quick snack or breakfast on-the-go and is really tasty with a cup or mug of tea or coffee.
Step 1: Add the plain flour, light brown sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix the peanut butter, plant-based milk and vanilla extract together in a separate jug.
Step 3: Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
Step 4: Mix everything together.
Step 5: Scoop the mixture into a prepared loaf pan.
Step 6: Bake on the middle oven shelf for 45-60 minutes until well risen, firm, and golden.
Step 7: Cool the bread in the loaf pan for at least 15 minutes before carefully removing to cool completely on a cooling rack. If you don't have a cooling rack simply place on a chopping board or similar.
Peanut butter bread is a delicious bake on its own but for an extra special treat perhaps stud the top of the just-out-of-the-oven bread with some vegan chocolate drops so that they partially melt in the residual heat.
Recipe notes
Storage
Store peanut butter bread wrapped well in baking paper and an extra layer of kitchen foil for 3-4 days. Once wrapped the bread could also be placed in a bread tin. Alternatively, place in a bag suitable for keeping bread fresh such as a bread bag.
Freezing
Peanut butter bread can be frozen for 2-3 months either as an entire loaf, part of the loaf, or freeze slices between baking paper so that it is easy to remove 1 or 2 slices at a time.
Refresh
Refresh slices of peanut butter bread by toasting them in a toaster or under a grill [broiler]. A dry fry pan or skillet can also be used to toast or warm through slices. Alternatively, warm the sliced bread for a few minutes in a warm oven or air-fryer.
FAQ'S
As peanut bread bread is not too sweet it can be topped with either savoury or sweet toppings and enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, sides, or snacks.
It can be spread with vegan butter or margarine, fruit jam, marmalade, preserves, chutneys, relishes, vegan cream cheese, vegan chocolate spread, biscoff spread, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, soy nut butter, marmite, hummus, mashed avocado, salsa, vegan yogurt, vegan creme fraiche, vegan cottage cheese, etc.
A few peanut butter bread topping ideas:
* chopped fruit such as kiwis, plums, peaches, fresh berries, grapes, etc
* mashed banana or banana slices
* slices of fresh tomatoes, cucumber and other salad bits
* sprinkle of nuts or seeds
* slices of your favourite dairy-free cheese
* cooked vegan bacon
* a drizzle of maple syrup, date syrup, rice syrup, etc
* vegan chocolate sauce, this would go wonderfully with the peanuts and would be like a vegan chocolate snickers style peanut butter bread
For a chocolate chip peanut butter bread, chocolate drops could be scattered over the top of the bread once it is out of the oven. Gently press the drops into the surface and they will melt beautifully in the residual heat. Or grate a bar of chocolate over the warm bread.
Another idea is to drizzle some vegan chocolate ganache over the bread once it has cooled and allow the ganache to drip down the sides to create a delicious chocolate peanut butter bread.
For a quick filling snack a slice of peanut butter bread along with a nice cup of tea, coffee, or chilled glass of oat milk is quite nice.
Other than simply eat slices of buttered peanut butter bread or topping it with your favourite toppings, sauces, or spreads, here are a few ideas:
* Use slices of peanut butter bread to prepare vegan french toast.
* Slices can be used for a vegan bread and butter pudding, or an old-fashioned bread pudding.
* Add peanut butter and fruit jam to two slices for a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
* Fry slices in a little oil or pan fry without oil and enjoy as a side along with a vegan cooked breakfast or brunch, such as with our tasty Vegan Corned 'beef' Tempeh Hash, or our Vegan Smoked Tofu Kedgeree, or our Scrambled Chickpeas, and our Vegan Mushroom Steak Diane.
* Slices of peanut butter bread can also be toasted, grilled or broiled.
* Enjoy a few slices along with our delicious Budget-Friendly Tomato Soup or with our Slow Cooker Spicy Peanut, Black Bean Soup and Potato Soup.
Yes, the peanut butter can be replaced but then so would the name of the recipe! For example if you replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter [or toasted soya spread] the bread will become a sunflower seed butter bread which will still be very tasty.
Other substitutions you can try are almond butter, cashew butter, or soy nut butter.
A thick tahini may be used but this will substantially change the flavour of the bread and possibly the texture. We have not tried these substitutions yet so if you do make changes do let us know how you get on.
The top photo is a slice of peanut butter bread with vegan chocolate spread sprinkled with chopped mixed nuts. The bottom photo is a slice of peanut butter bread spread with vegan soft cream cheese and topped with thin slices of kiwi fruit which made for an especially tasty breakfast. Alternatively instead of kiwi fruit pop on some blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries.
More vegan sweet quick bread recipes
We love old-fashioned sweet quick breads. As they use less sugar compared with cakes they are perfect for lower sugar snacks. They also tend to use less or no-added fat such as margarine or oil. Our old-fashioned quick bread recipes do not require any yeast and are prepared with everyday pantry ingredients.
A few of our favourites are this Vegan Banana Bread, and this Golden Syrup Loaf. Also despite this All Bran Loaf Cake and this Weetabix Loaf Cake being vintage favourites they are still very popular bake.
For more easy vegan baking recipes check out our Vegan Baking Recipe collection for inspiration for your next egg-free and dairy-free bake.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Bread
Equipment
- 1 Ib loaf pan lined with baking paper
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring jug
- mixing spoon
- sieve
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 300 grams plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 60 grams soft brown sugar (light brown sugar or other brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (use a level tablespoon, meaning run a knife over the top of the tablespoon measurement to avoid using too much powder)
- 135 grams peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
- 280 millilitres plant-based milk (such as soya or oat, or your usual milk)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional as your peanut butter may be salty enough)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract/essence (optional but adds more flavour)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 140°C Fan / 160°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3.
- Prepare a loaf pan by greasing with a little vegan butter, margarine or oil and lining with baking paper.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl and stir through the sugar and salt.300 grams plain flour, 60 grams soft brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a measuring jug mix the peanut butter, milk and vanilla together.135 grams peanut butter, 280 millilitres plant-based milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract/essence
- Scoop the peanut butter mix into the flour and mix until its all just combined.
- Add the mixture to the loaf pan and level out the surface.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, on the middle oven shelf. Exact times will depend on your oven and the bread will be ready when it has risen, is firm, and light golden. A skewer popped in the bread will come out clean once it has baked through. As this is a quick bread there will likely be a crack on the surface but this is perfectly fine and is to be expected.Fan ovens bake faster so check after 45 minutes for doneness, our bread was ready after baking in a fan oven for about 45 minutes.
- Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the loaf pan before removing to cool completely on a cooling rack or just place on a chopping board to cool.
Notes
- Store peanut butter bread wrapped well in baking paper and an extra layer of kitchen foil for up to 4 days. The wrapped bread can also be placed in a bread tin or other covered container. Or place into a food-grade bag intended for keeping bread fresh.
- Freeze well wrapped in a layer of greaseproof or baking paper and a second layer of kitchen foil or a freezer-proof bag or food wrap for up t2-3 months.
- Older slices can be toasted to refresh. Or place in a warm oven or air-fryer for a few minutes.
- The vanilla extract is optional but does provides additional flavour. The salt is also optional and may not be required if salt is already an ingredient within your peanut butter.
- For a nut-free bread replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter [ground sunflower seeds] or toasted soya butter which is a peanut butter replacement. One brand is Wowbutter creamy toasted soya spread and can be found on Amazon, Tesco, Holland & Barrett, and Walmart.
- For a gluten-free peanut butter bread replace the flour with gluten-free plain flour or all-purpose gluten-free baking flour, use gluten-free baking powder, and add about.½ teaspoon of xanthum gum to the flour to help the crumb bind together. An extra tablespoon of milk may need to be added if the bread mixture looks too dry as gluten-free flour tends to result in a drier mixture.
Nutrition
Prepared our delicious Vegan Peanut Butter Bread? Do let us know how you got on with the recipe as we love hearing from you. Thanks so much, Jacq x
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