whoopsidaisies!

That's what I said when this batch of bread came out of the oven...


...and that was putting it mildly.

Don't judge me too harshly, but I'm a sucker for "Notting Hill," and my favorite part (aside from the press conference scene at the end) is when the delightful Hugh Grant is attempting to shimmy over a gate and failing miserably. "Whoopsidaisies!" he says. It gets me every time.

Yes, this bread can only be classified as a big ol' "Whoopsidaisies!" Lesson learned: Don't use baking powder that's over three years old, and if you stubbornly insist on doing so, at least make sure you sift it.

Other mistakes: I didn't bake the bread long enough and shouldn't have spread the batter out into six mini loaves--the end result was more like a batch of way-too-moist and sticky rectangular hockey pucks.


I should've known that I was in for trouble when I had to dig my baking powder out with a knife. I foolishly soldiered on, though, not even pausing to break up the chipped-off clumps of the stuff. The result was the green, vomit-like growths you see above. They were scattered throughout my loaves, which had such potential--they were flavored with apple-blueberry baby food and speckled with dried blueberries.

I'll give you the recipe anyway, and maybe you'll have enough sense to use unexpired ingredients. The flavor wasn't bad at all, if you stayed far away from the parts tainted by the pesky baking powder. So I guess it wasn't a complete failure, and hey--at least Eb got a work-out. Speaking of sourdough, my big brother finally named his starter, cleverly dubbing it Barack Dough-bama. :)

Sourdough Blueberry Bread
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup apple-blueberry baby food
1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
1 cup dried blueberries, coated in flour

Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously grease or spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a small bowl.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, vegetable oil, apple-blueberry baby food, and starter. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in the dried blueberries and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering the loaf with foil during the last 10 minutes if necessary to prevent overbrowning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.