Chocolate Tahini Bread

I present to you the loaf of my dreams – a quick bread that is heavily studded with chocolate and  tahini. Yes, the same tahini we use for hummus. The idea of using chocolate and tahini together has been steaming inside my head ever since I saw this tahini swirl brownies. You all know that I am on a bread fiend lately, it was only appropriate that I celebrate “logging the longest mile” ever since starting my half marathon training with nothing but a loaf of bread with chocolate just like the last time. I purposely did not post last Friday about my running as promised because I didn’t really run that much last week so I had nothing exciting/new to share with you all. Finally, last Saturday I snapped out of my ‘no-running’ mode to ‘let’s get back to running’ – thank god for that. So right now I don’t know if I am more excited about my running progress or this chocolate tahini bread as they are both keeping me happy. I hope you guys have something to celebrate, cherish, and be grateful for today and make this chocolate tahini bread part of your celebration.

Originally, I wanted to make chocolate tahini muffins because it’s great for snacking (not that bread isn’t). It’s more portable and easy to transport but in between mixing the batter and pouring it into muffin tins, I changed my mind that I wanted a thick slice of chocolate tahini bread instead of muffins. So I assume this recipe will work for muffins too (you have to reduce the baking time to 20-22 minutes; if you end up trying I’d love to know) because I loosely followed the basic muffin recipe as suggested here. Also, instead of using liquid milk, I experimented with instant nonfat dry milk. I had a packet sitting for a long time (and I ran out of milk) and it seemed to work just fine.

Instant nonfat dry milk is made by removing water from pasteurized skim milk.

Chocolate Tahini Bread is super versatile; it’s a perfect vehicle for your milk in the morning, an afternoon pick me up buddy with your coffee, and also works as a dessert for your sweet tooth. If you are worried about the taste of tahini, don’t worry. It’s more chocolatey than tahini (ish) and there is only a slight undertone of tahini but somehow they work really well together. If you absolutely hate tahini (not sure if we can be friends anymore…just kidding), I could see nut butter being a good substitute.

To store the bread, I normally wrap it with a plastic wrap and leave it on the countertop. Currently, since its so hot, I stored it in the refrigerator which makes it a little hard but it stays fresh. Before eating, I suggest slicing a big piece and heating it for 10 seconds in a microwave.

…and on running.  heres the half-marathon update from  Week 1 & Week 2, Week 3

week 4: didn’t do very good with running…boooo

week 5

• Strength training/stretch : 50 minutes elliptical ( I am thinking to start weight training)
• Running:  11 miles / 3 runs; pace less than 10 miles/minutes. Goal : 7 miles this weekend.
• Nutrition:  I have been focusing on getting more protein in the morning but nothing new.

Have you guys tried instant nonfat dry milk in your recipes?

What are some good strength training exercises?

Chocolate + tahini combo – what do you think?