Eggnog Quick Bread

Jen called Thursday evening. I knew before I picked up. There's a thing that happens in the body before the mind catches up — a settling, a quiet recognition that something you've been watching approach has finally arrived. I sat down at the kitchen table before I answered.

She was kind about it. That's the right word. She said she cared about me, said she thought I was a good person and she meant that, said the problem wasn't what I'd done but what I couldn't do. She said she needed someone who could let her in all the way and that she didn't think I was able to do that yet. She didn't say yet to be cruel — I think she genuinely believed it was a yet and not a never. I appreciated that even if I wasn't sure she was right.

I said: I know. I'm sorry. She said there was nothing to be sorry about. I said there was, but I understood what she meant. We talked for maybe ten more minutes about nothing specific — her summer plans, the drive back to Billings before school started. Normal things. Then she said goodbye and I said goodbye and that was it.

I sat at the table for a while after. Mom came through the kitchen to fill a glass of water and looked at me and said nothing. That's her version of asking. I said it was done with Jen. She patted my shoulder once and went back to the living room. Dad never knew we were seeing each other, I think. Or knew and didn't ask. Hard to say with him.

Made sourdough bread that night, which is what I do when I need something to tend. Mix the dough, let it proof, fold it, let it rest, shape it, let it rise. The process doesn't leave room for much else. The bread came out well — open crumb, good crust — and I sliced it hot even though you're supposed to wait and ate two pieces with butter standing at the counter. It tasted fine. Most things do, eventually.

Sourdough takes longer than I had patience for that night, so I made this instead — a quick bread that still gives you something to do with your hands, something to watch come together. The eggnog is rich and a little sweet, and the spices make the kitchen smell like somewhere warm, which was what I needed. It came out soft and dense in the good way, and I ate a slice too hot, standing at the counter, same as always.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup eggnog
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat. Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggnog, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix — a few streaks of flour are fine. The batter will be thick.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
Cool. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. You’re supposed to let it cool fully before slicing. You probably won’t.

Nutrition (per serving)

Eggnog Quick Bread — Something to Tend When the Night Goes Quiet