Fall Baking - Carrot Apple Bran Bread

Fall is here! The air is crisp, the sun flirts all day, the leaves blush and swoon.
:-)

I'm in the mood for a rustic, sweet bread and have been meaning to build some baking skills this Fall. Turns out there are all sorts of places in Rochester that have baking / cooking classes. A recent acquaintance took classes at Monroe Community College and highly reccommended it. The Wegmans at Pittsford has a Menu Development Kitchen and offers a variety of classes. Tops Markets also offers classes and some free events (always music to my ears!). The new kid on the block is the The New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, with state-of-the-art kitchens and a very cool educational theater.

I've decided to try my hand at baking sweet breads. If I meet with more disasters than successes, I'll sign up for one of the Fall breadmaking or Holiday breadmaking classes! Cross your fingers, here we go!

This weekend I made a carrot apple bran bread, halved and modified the original recipe for Bran Flax Muffins. Here are my modifications:

• I used whole wheat flour, oat bran with flaxseed and oats.
• Substituted yoghurt for oil.
• Did not peel the apples :-)
• Added a handful of chocolate chips (knowing me, this should really not come as a surprise!)

Happily, inspite of my modifications, the bread turned out hearty and not-too-sweet, just as I like it. The end product is delightfully rustic and gently sweet. Filled my apartment with the wonderful warm aroma of cinnamon and baking!

Links:

1. Monroe Community College - Food Service Administration (? $ 113 per credit)
2. Wegman's Menu Cooking School ( $ 49-59 per class)
3. The Cooking School at Tops Market ( $ 20-40 per class)
4. New York Wine and Culinary Center ( $ 65-100 per event or class)