Two Cinnamon Walnut Breads: One with Red Hots, One Without

This was the first, with the Red Hots. Calendar from Maria using my Instagram crane shots

A neighbor grew up with a version of this cinnamon and walnut bread with Red Hots, but a piece she gave me to taste was very dry and I decided to have a go using my own base recipe for quick breads. I added a whole 5.5 ounce package of Red Hots, which was too many for my taste. However, my daughter loved that it’s tasty, chewy and crunchy when toasted. Neighbor’s recipe has only 1/3 cup Red Hots, more reasonable. It’s lovely and moist, not over dense.

Toasted piece has lovely crunchy bits, is favored by my daughter. (She hasn’t had the no-Red-Hots yet.)

Brown sugar, walnut and cinnamon swirl inside. Top with granulated sugar, nut, cinnamon

Why not a closeup? Can you imagine the toasty goodness? This piece is untoasted.

And this is the crunchy, nutty top, which a sugar addict could cut off and eat by itself.

I will add the exact recipe if requested. Right now the recipe is in one of the boxes in the kitchen and I’m at the computer typing. It uses oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla as the wet ingredients along with the usual flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. There’s 3/4 cup walnuts within the brown sugar and cinnamon swirl and another 1/4 nuts in the cinnamon-sugar topping. I think it’s divine. I’m going to toast a nice fat slice tomorrow while watching the last match of the January Japanese Emporer’s Cup Sumo and then the NFL playoffs. Who will it be? Yokozuna Terenofuji? (I hope. My second favorite, Ozeki Hoshoryu, is out with an injury during Friday’s match.) The Kansas City Chiefs or the Baltimore Ravens? The Detroit Lions or the San Francisco 49ers?