Friday, September 17, 2010

Pumpkin Bread...
and we are back up and cooking with convection!


I find it hard to believe that in 5 years and some 185 posts, that I have never written about one of my favorite things. I love this time of year for many reasons. I actually do enjoy the rain sometimes. especially the smell it brings this time of year as it mixes with the scent of the falling leaves. kind of a musty tree and dying leaves smell? I love the smell of firewood, even though it is still not THAT cold just yet. some though think it is, so there is a little bit of that smell in the air too. and, I love love love squash and pumpkin anything. take a look here.

But, I just cant believe that I have never written about pumpkin bread. I love this stuff. This is something I will gladly buy at Starbucks in July. But, come September and October, I make it myself.

But, have you read about the great pumpkin shortage? I must have blocked it out of my mind. I guess last year was so wet, that the farms in the midwest that normally produce most of the US canned pumpkin supply, lost much of their pumpkin crops. leaving most stores barren of pumpkin and only 6 cans in the whole Libbys factory inventory.

So, when I went to the store yesterday, I was kind of bummed to see that indeed, there was no pumpkin on the shelf. BUT, there was butternut squash. just so you know, it makes just about as mean a pumpkin bread. So, I bought two cans, just in case.

Supposedly, this year has been a better one, so we should be seeing more pumpkin on our shelves just in time for fall.

In the meantime, make this bread.
or this one. (looks like I was lying a little bit. I have made a variation of this bread in the past..)
both breads adapted from the Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger.


1 c sugar
1/2 c plus 2 Tabl brown sugar, packed
14.5 oz can of butternut squash or pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup walnut oil
(I have also used canola, and even a half canola/olive oil mix with success)

2 1/3 c flour
1 1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
3/4 teas cloves
3/4 teas cinnamon

preheat oven to 350. grease a loaf pan. I used a 9 x5x 3 pan.
mix the sugars, squash, eggs and oil. whisk to blend thoroughly.
in a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
add the dry to the wet and whisk to combine.

pour into loaf pan and bake for 50 min. chances are the bread wont be finished, but I like to set the alarm just in case, then reset it for shorter increments. all in all, it takes just over an hour to an hour and 15 to bake.




On another note, welcome the family, new and wonderful oven!

* I also made this same recipe a few days later into muffins with a struesal-ly topping. yum!




here is the topping recipe:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas salt
6 Tablspoons Butter

combine dry ingredients, crumble in butter and mix until it resembles a coarse meal.

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