Maple Sour Cream Bread

I think I am secretly a Canadian. I just love maple syrup way too much. I sneak it into as many dishes as possible. I recently came across an old recipe I used to make back in the day. There are many admirable qualities about this bread...1) it is free of refined sugars, sweetened only by Maple Syrup 2) Its moist melt in your mouth quality 3) It's extremely satisfactory to my soul. Some recipes I have tried that are free of refined sugars often come out dry and tasteless. This recipe is surprisingly the opposite, and unless you told people they would never guess it was sweetened with only maple syrup. If I ever have my own bakery I imagine I would like to have high tea, and serve this wonderful simple bread alongside it. Of course those who know me know that I do not like tea, but I truly do love the idea of tea time. So when I have high tea I will drink my water and be satisfied, as long as I get to wear a big floppy hat...and eat this bread.

Maple Sour Cream Bread
from Williams and Sonoma

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at
  room temperature
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 1-lb. loaf pan. In a small bowl, stir and toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a bowl, using a whisk, beat the butter until smooth, then slowly add the maple syrup, whisking constantly. Whisk in the sour cream and egg. Stir in the pecans. Add the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto the rack and let cool completely.