BANANA-NUT BREAD

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9 1/4 x 5 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. In small bowl, mix mashed bananas, milk and vanilla. Using electric mixer, beat shortening in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat banana mixture and flour mixture alternately into shortening mixture in 2 additions each. Stir in pecans. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and let stand at room temperature.)

Makes 1 loaf.

RAISIN RYE BREAD

Called limpa in Sweden, this impressive bread is flavored with a combination of molasses, orange peel, crushed aniseed, and caraway and fennel seeds.

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup warm water (105°F. to 115°F.)
• 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 2 envelopes dry yeast
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsulfured (light) molasses
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups rye flour*
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon aniseed, crushed
• 5 cups (about) bread flour
• 1 cup raisins

*Rye flour is sold at natural foods stores, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

Bring milk to simmer in small saucepan. Cool to between 105°F. and 115°F. Stir warm water and sugar in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until foamy, about 8 minutes. Mix in milk, 1/2 cup molasses, oil, orange peel and salt. Add rye flour, oats, caraway seeds, fennel seeds and aniseed and stir until well blended. Stir in 2 cups bread flour. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

Gradually mix in enough remaining bread flour to form dough. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 12 minutes. Knead in raisins. Oil large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.

Oil two 9-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment. Oil parchment. Coat pans and parchment with flour; shake out excess. Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly oiled surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each into 6-inch round loaf. Transfer loaves to prepared pans; flatten slightly. Cover with clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm area until almost doubled and loaves have spread almost to edges of pans, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake loaves until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes or less Cool loaves in pans on racks 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pans. Brush tops with 1 tablespoon molasses. Cool completely on racks. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly; store at room temperature.)

Makes 2 Loaves.

IRISH SODA BREAD

A perennial favorite on both sides of the Atlantic, this raisiny bread makes fine, fragrant toast.

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup raisins or dried currants, rinsed in hot water and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 2 cups buttermilk

Into a large bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the baking soda and stir in the raisins and the caraway seeds. Add the buttermilk and stir the mixture until it forms a dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute. Halve the dough, with floured hands shape each half into a round loaf, and transfer the loaves to a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut an X 1/4 inch deep across the tops of the loaves with a sharp knife and bake the loaves in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the loaves to racks and let them cool.

Makes 2 loaves.

GRANDMOTHER CRAFT'S ORANGE BREAD

For candied orange zest

• 2 navel oranges
• 3/4 cup sugar

For bread

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Cut oranges lengthwise into eighths and peel, reserving flesh for another use. With a sharp knife remove white pith, leaving zest. In a saucepan combine zest with enough cold water to cover and simmer 10 minutes. Drain zest in a colander and return to pan. Add enough cold water to cover zest and simmer 10 minutes more. Drain zest in colander. In pan combine zest, sugar, and 1/4 cup water and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Cook zest mixture at a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrup is thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove zest from syrup with tongs and transfer to a rack to cool and dry completely (overnight if necessary). Candied orange zest may be made 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container. Chop zest fine.

Preheat oven to 375°F. and lightly grease and flour a loaf pan, 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 3/4 inches, knocking out excess flour.

In a large bowl whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Transfer 1 tablespoon mixture to a small bowl and stir in candied zest. In another small bowl whisk together egg, milk, and butter and add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in zest mixture (batter will be very thick). Transfer batter to pan, smoothing top, and bake bread in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool bread in pan on a rack 10 minutes and turn out onto rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.