Tastē Thursday~ I don’t follow many blogs (so thank you for reading mine!) because I frequently find the picturesque fashion, organization, cooking…all week every week unattainable and therefore unrealistic. Who needs that kind of pressure?! When I was 8 months pregnant with #3 I was perusing a photographic journey of a woman who had made cookies and brought them to the nursing staff at the hospital when she delivered her first child. When 9 months rolled around, I actually considered putting my apron on and making cookies thinking who doesn’t like a cookie to nibble on at 2 am (I always have my babies in the wee hours of the morning) and perhaps I would be treated with more consideration if I arrived bearing snacks. However, logic quickly settled in. I decided the delivery team, whose lives would intersect with mine for 10 hours out of their and my entire lives, wouldn’t care if I brought them food, and my true motivation was to try to match the image of this perfect woman (who probably isn’t all that perfect). So…lest you ever get the impression that I am always put together and have things (read anything) under control...the following was my mishap with pumpkin bread last week. Although I don’t frequently run into the particular accident that led to my baking experiment, every week brings multiple moments of quiet and, at times quite loud, imperfections. Onto the food…
Ever since my first bite of Starbucks pumpkin bread, I have been in love with the moist and perfectly spiced slice of autumn heaven. I have tried numerous recipes in search of recreating the wonderful little loaf at home. Last week brought another attempt, except I forgot one key ingredient…baking soda. I put the loaves in the oven, put the baby to bed, and began the older two boys’ bedtime routine. Before story time I peeked into the oven and thought my loaves looked odd and quite raw. Eventually, the bread tested done but still appeared to be a weird little brick. After pausing a few moments to think, which I should have done prior to ever opening the oven in the first place, I recalled that I had not put in any baking soda or powder. A quick review of the recipe assured me that this was my error. The next morning I cut a slice – just because the dough didn’t rise didn’t mean the flavor wouldn’t be the same right? It was edible, kind of, but there was absolutely no way three loaves of oddly textured pumpkin nuggets were going to be consumed. I wrapped them up and stuck them in the refrigerator hoping there would be a use for them but not certain what that was yet.
Saturday as I was prepping lunch for a meeting on Sunday afternoon I found their purpose. Slicing the loaves and laying them on a baking sheet, I cooked them again for about 20 minutes. I whipped up a small amount of cream cheese frosting, and after they cooled, frosted them and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. Voila, dessert! I can’t say they were awesome or even wonderful, but at least the food didn’t go to waste.
Ever since my first bite of Starbucks pumpkin bread, I have been in love with the moist and perfectly spiced slice of autumn heaven. I have tried numerous recipes in search of recreating the wonderful little loaf at home. Last week brought another attempt, except I forgot one key ingredient…baking soda. I put the loaves in the oven, put the baby to bed, and began the older two boys’ bedtime routine. Before story time I peeked into the oven and thought my loaves looked odd and quite raw. Eventually, the bread tested done but still appeared to be a weird little brick. After pausing a few moments to think, which I should have done prior to ever opening the oven in the first place, I recalled that I had not put in any baking soda or powder. A quick review of the recipe assured me that this was my error. The next morning I cut a slice – just because the dough didn’t rise didn’t mean the flavor wouldn’t be the same right? It was edible, kind of, but there was absolutely no way three loaves of oddly textured pumpkin nuggets were going to be consumed. I wrapped them up and stuck them in the refrigerator hoping there would be a use for them but not certain what that was yet.
Saturday as I was prepping lunch for a meeting on Sunday afternoon I found their purpose. Slicing the loaves and laying them on a baking sheet, I cooked them again for about 20 minutes. I whipped up a small amount of cream cheese frosting, and after they cooled, frosted them and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. Voila, dessert! I can’t say they were awesome or even wonderful, but at least the food didn’t go to waste.
 Oh my, something went wrong! |  A disaster save...kind of! |
This is more like it! I still had the recipe to try out with all of its ingredients mixed in, so Monday afternoon I tried again. I don’t think I will settle for this recipe being the final pumpkin bread recipe I ever try, but it is the best to date. It is moist and contains what I think might be the secret ingredient to good pumpkin bread…ground cardamom.
I am done with my pumpkin bread experiments until next fall when a cool breeze through the kitchen reignites my desire to continue my quest for the ultimate recipe. In the meantime, if you have company coming for Thanksgiving, I’m sure they would enjoy a slice of pumpkin bread in the morning…or if you have pumpkin left over from a pumpkin pie, this only requires a cup and is the perfect way to finish off a can of puree.
Pumpkin Bread
Makes 1 (8.5x4.5x2.5”) loaf
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ heaping teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
14 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degree. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a smaller bowl, mix together the 2 beaten eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Once the liquid ingredients are mixed well, pour them over the dry ingredients. Stir until the lumps are out but do not over-stir the mixture. Pour into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of bread. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center of the loaf. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn the pumpkin bread onto a cooling rack.
Cut bread after allowed to cool completely.
I am done with my pumpkin bread experiments until next fall when a cool breeze through the kitchen reignites my desire to continue my quest for the ultimate recipe. In the meantime, if you have company coming for Thanksgiving, I’m sure they would enjoy a slice of pumpkin bread in the morning…or if you have pumpkin left over from a pumpkin pie, this only requires a cup and is the perfect way to finish off a can of puree.
Pumpkin Bread
Makes 1 (8.5x4.5x2.5”) loaf
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ heaping teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
14 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degree. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a smaller bowl, mix together the 2 beaten eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Once the liquid ingredients are mixed well, pour them over the dry ingredients. Stir until the lumps are out but do not over-stir the mixture. Pour into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of bread. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center of the loaf. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn the pumpkin bread onto a cooling rack.
Cut bread after allowed to cool completely.
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