Nutri-Data . . . Home-Baked Breads : You Can Boost Nutrient Content With Tasty Additions

Adding nutritious ingredients to home-baked breads is one way to get a few more vitamins and minerals into the family’s diet. Spinach and cheese rolled up in a fragrant yeast dough add Vitamin A and calcium to dinner rolls. Peanut butter and bananas flavor a quick bread to add protein, thiamine, niacin and potassium, but calories too.

Rice, pumpkin, tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and raisins or carrots each add their own distinctive flavors as well as food values to the bread ideas here. None are difficult to make and some use convenience products such as frozen bread dough or biscuit mix, offering the busy homemaker a chance to provide nutritious home-baked snacks without investing precious time.

Any of these breads provide a nutrient-dense choice to accompany a large tossed salad for a light dinner or lunch. A glass of milk will add important amounts of protein, riboflavin and calcium to the meal. When serving the breads as snacks, serve with milk or juice if there is room for the extra calories in the diet. SPINACH ROLL-UPS

1 (16-ounce) loaf frozen white bread dough

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained

3/4 cup shredded Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons minced onion

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Let bread dough thaw to room temperature according to package directions. On lightly floured board, roll out dough to 16x12-inch rectangle.

Mix spinach, Jack cheese, egg and onion. Spread mixture over dough to within 1 inch of edges. Beginning with long side, roll up tightly.

Spread half of melted butter in bottom of 12x7-inch baking pan or 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over butter. Cut dough roll into 1-inch slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, in pan, allowing room for rolls to rise. Brush tops of rolls with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Let rise until tripled. Bake at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out onto serving plate and serve warm. Makes 16 rolls, 8 servings.

PER SERVING: 259 calories; 10 gm protein; 30 gm carbohydrate; 11 gm fat; 438 mg sodium; 177 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 16% Riboflavin 15% Vitamin A 51% Niacin 10% Vitamin C 09% Calcium 19% Thiamine 17% Iron 12% BANANA-PEANUT BUTTER BREAD

4 medium very ripe bananas

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice bananas into blender. Puree until smooth. Beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Beat in eggs, then bananas until blended. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into banana mixture until blended.

Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees 50 minutes or until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely. Makes 6 servings.

PER SERVING: 462 calories; 11 gm protein; 69 gm carbohydrate; 17 gm fat; 473 mg sodium; 446 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 17% Riboflavin 16% Vitamin A 13% Niacin 24% Vitamin C 13% Calcium 03% Thiamine 23% Iron 13% RICE BATTER BREAD

1 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine rice and cornmeal. Stir in buttermilk, baking soda, salt, oregano, eggs and butter, blending well. Turn batter into greased 8-inch square pan and bake at 325 degrees 1 hour. Makes 6 servings.

PER SERVING: 138 calories; 6 gm protein; 15 gm carbohydrate; 6 gm fat; 710 mg sodium; 151 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 09% Riboflavin 13% Vitamin A 08% Niacin 03% Vitamin C 01% Calcium 11% Thiamine 07% Iron 04% PUMPKIN-CORN BREAD

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1 cup milk

Sift flour with baking powder, mace and salt. Add lemon peel and stir in cornmeal. Cream butter until smooth. Beat in sugar and continue beating until mixture is fluffy. Add eggs and lemon juice and beat again until smooth. Thoroughly mix in pumpkin. Continue beating, alternately adding flour mixture and milk until everything is combined. Spoon batter into 2 greased 8x4-inch loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees 1 hour and 20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans 5 minutes, then carefully remove from pans and cool completely on racks. Makes 2 loaves, 12 servings.

PER SERVING: 252 calories; 6 gm protein; 36 gm carbohydrate; 11 gm fat; 333 mg sodium; 240 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 09% Riboflavin 08% Vitamin A 51% Niacin 06% Vitamin C 06% Calcium 13% Thiamine 11% Iron 09% CREAMY TOMATO-CHEESE BREAD

1 cup buttermilk biscuit mix

1/3 cup milk

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground oregano

Dash ground sage

Paprika

Combine biscuit mix and milk to make soft dough. Turn dough onto well-floured board and knead 10 to 12 times. Pat dough over bottom of 8-inch square baking pan, pushing dough up sides of pan to form shallow rim. Arrange tomato slices over dough.

Melt butter in saucepan, add onion and saute until tender. Add sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese, salt, pepper, oregano and sage. Spoon sour cream mixture over tomatoes and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 400 degrees 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 servings.

PER SERVING: 240 calories; 6 gm protein; 18 gm carbohydrate; 16 gm fat; 496 mg sodium; 186 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 09% Riboflavin 10% Vitamin A 14% Niacin 06% Vitamin C 18% Calcium 12% Thiamine 09% Iron 06% COTTAGE CHEESE RAISIN BREAD

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/2 cup milk

Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, cottage cheese and raisins. Mix flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and caraway seeds. Mix into egg mixture alternately with milk.

Turn into greased and floured 8-inch round cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about 40 minutes longer or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert and cool on rack. Makes 6 servings.

PER SERVING: 366 calories; 12 gm protein; 52 gm carbohydrate; 12 gm fat; 536 mg sodium; 218 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 19% Riboflavin 20% Vitamin A 12% Niacin 12% Vitamin C 01% Calcium 20% Thiamine 21% Iron 12% CARROT BREAD

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup oil

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup raisins

Beat eggs and add sugar and oil. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add to egg mixture. Beat well. Add carrots, nuts and raisins. Grease 5 soup cans or 1 (9x5-inch) loaf pan. Fill cans half full. Bake at 350 degrees 45 to 50 minutes for soup cans or 1 hour for loaf pan. Makes 5 small loafs or 1 large loaf, 5 servings.

PER SERVING: 814 calories; 11 gm protein; 92 gm carbohydrate; 47 gm fat; 871 mg sodium; 449 mg potassium. USRDA

Protein 17% Riboflavin 16% Vitamin A 78% Niacin 13% Vitamin C 06% Calcium 07% Thiamine 26% Iron 19%