![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumI've been making pumpkin bread.
I started with some modifications to a "Downeastern Maine" pumpkin bread. Mostly what I did was look at it, swap some of the sugar for maple syrup, and cut about half the oil out and replace it with butter.
I also added some baking powder, because all it had was soda, and there wasn't anything acid in the mix.
The comments (it was an online recipe) all said it was great.
The people who made the comments like boring pumpkin bread. It smelled good in the oven, but was a bit dry, and underspiced. I admit it, I'm a fan of strongly spiced quickbreads. Ginger and cinnamon, and nutmeg and clove. Pfeffernussen and I are BFF.
So, added about a 1/4 cup more butter, and doubled up the spices. I am making another batch tonight, this time I'll be cutting the baking powder some, and upping the soda, because I've added yogurt to bunch.
So... generally:
4-6 oz butter. Mixed with not more than 1/2 cup oil (I like safflower for this), or yogurt, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup. I use an immersion blender to do this. With a 1:1 butter oil ratio you will get a smooth paste (chill it and you can use it as shortening. Not as well as real Crisco was, but decent). The syrup will thicken it. A bit of cornstarch and you have a glaze for donuts.
1 pt pumpkin purée If using fresh drain it. If using canned... I don't know. I'd look at it. It ought to be the density/consistency of greek yogurt. If it's not, drain it.
3- 3 1/2 cups raw sugar (2 1/2-3 of white sugar)
Vanilla to taste
Dry Ingredients
About one nutmeg, call it 3/4 tsp. (I grate them on a microplane. It's fun* the nutmeg smells great and you get to see "brains").
About the same of clove, a bit more than that of cinnimon, and about half, to twice again, ginger.
1/2 tsp of baking soda†
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour.
Combine the pumpkin, the butter/oil(yogurt)/syrup mixture, and the sugar, this will get the sugar evenly distributed
Combine the dry ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease, and flour your loaf pan(s) [this makes two 1.5 qt/1.4 l loaves).
When the oven is hot, mix the flour/spice/leaven mixture to the pumpkin, etc. It should make a thick batter. A spoon willl lift it, but it won't pour, and you can't pick it up. Don't worry about over mixing it, there's not enough structure for gluten to really make it tough.
Put into the oven for about an hour. I set a timer for 45-50 minutes. When a toothpick (I used a bamboo skewer, about a foot long) comes out clean, they are done.
*and safe, if you slip and jam your finger into the "blade" it feels as if you broke the skin, but I never have
† If using yogurt, use about 1 tsp. baking soda, and about that much less baking powder
I started with some modifications to a "Downeastern Maine" pumpkin bread. Mostly what I did was look at it, swap some of the sugar for maple syrup, and cut about half the oil out and replace it with butter.
I also added some baking powder, because all it had was soda, and there wasn't anything acid in the mix.
The comments (it was an online recipe) all said it was great.
The people who made the comments like boring pumpkin bread. It smelled good in the oven, but was a bit dry, and underspiced. I admit it, I'm a fan of strongly spiced quickbreads. Ginger and cinnamon, and nutmeg and clove. Pfeffernussen and I are BFF.
So, added about a 1/4 cup more butter, and doubled up the spices. I am making another batch tonight, this time I'll be cutting the baking powder some, and upping the soda, because I've added yogurt to bunch.
So... generally:
4-6 oz butter. Mixed with not more than 1/2 cup oil (I like safflower for this), or yogurt, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup. I use an immersion blender to do this. With a 1:1 butter oil ratio you will get a smooth paste (chill it and you can use it as shortening. Not as well as real Crisco was, but decent). The syrup will thicken it. A bit of cornstarch and you have a glaze for donuts.
1 pt pumpkin purée If using fresh drain it. If using canned... I don't know. I'd look at it. It ought to be the density/consistency of greek yogurt. If it's not, drain it.
3- 3 1/2 cups raw sugar (2 1/2-3 of white sugar)
Vanilla to taste
Dry Ingredients
About one nutmeg, call it 3/4 tsp. (I grate them on a microplane. It's fun* the nutmeg smells great and you get to see "brains").
About the same of clove, a bit more than that of cinnimon, and about half, to twice again, ginger.
1/2 tsp of baking soda†
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour.
Combine the pumpkin, the butter/oil(yogurt)/syrup mixture, and the sugar, this will get the sugar evenly distributed
Combine the dry ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease, and flour your loaf pan(s) [this makes two 1.5 qt/1.4 l loaves).
When the oven is hot, mix the flour/spice/leaven mixture to the pumpkin, etc. It should make a thick batter. A spoon willl lift it, but it won't pour, and you can't pick it up. Don't worry about over mixing it, there's not enough structure for gluten to really make it tough.
Put into the oven for about an hour. I set a timer for 45-50 minutes. When a toothpick (I used a bamboo skewer, about a foot long) comes out clean, they are done.
*and safe, if you slip and jam your finger into the "blade" it feels as if you broke the skin, but I never have
† If using yogurt, use about 1 tsp. baking soda, and about that much less baking powder
