Happy Sunday Bread Heads!
This week was a bit of a tough one, I had to run to Michigan for my Grandmothers funeral. That does not mean that there was not time to make some fabulous bread; just that it had to be rather quick and easy.
This makes it the perfect week to make a quick bread! Given that it is October and all things pumpkin are in vogue the choice of Pumpkin Walnut Quick Bread all but made itself.
Quick breads are breads that do not rise, other than in the oven. They are a in the category of batter breads. They are leavened with baking powder or baking soda or more commonly both. They do not have the airy crumb of risen breads but they have a more cake like texture and flavors.
A word about pumpkin; you can, if you must, buy pumpkins and make your own mashed pumpkin for this recipe (wash, remove the pulp and seeds, peel, cut into 2 inch chunks and boil for 10 minutes, then mash) but the dirty little secret is that you will get exactly no difference in the end product if you use canned mashed pumpkin instead. The pumpkin is on vegetable that does no change a lot no matter who is doing the mashing. So, unless you want to have a project with the kids, save yourself the brain damage and time and just buy the canned mashed pumpkin.
Now, let’s bake!
Pumpkin Walnut Bread
Ingredients:
1 can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter (room temperature)
3 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoon baking powder (above 5000 feet reduce this by half)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups chopped walnuts
Baking Pans:
Two 8"x4" loaf pans, non-stick preferred
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Set a rack in the middle of the oven.
This recipe really does not need your stand mixer. If you want to use it just use the paddle attachment. In your large mixing bowl combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and butter. Mix thoroughly.
Into another bowl sift the dry ingredients minus the walnuts. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three equal portions. Stir to combine into a firm batter. Quickly stir in the walnuts.
Using a spatula pour (not really the right word for a batter this thick but you can’t really pick it up either) equal portions of the batter into each loaf pan. Use the spatula to even out the top of the batter. This will make the loaf cook a little more evenly.
Slip the pans into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Use a long tooth pick or a wooden skewer to test for doneness. The probe should come out clean. If it does not, give the loaves another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the bread to stand in the pans for 10 minutes. Quick breads tend to be a little more fragile than regular bread, so this prevents any tragic breaking. Gently turn them out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.
Now you have a dilemma. These loaves will have filled your house with a great pumpkin and cinnamon smell, they will be tempting you. However the ultimate flavor from this recipe really does not develop for three days or so. Thus your dilemma, you can cut into them and enjoy them now, or you can exhibit restraint, warp them in plastic wrap for three days and get the full power of this recipe. Me? I eat one and wrap the other. That way I get the best of both worlds, but you’ll just have to decide for yourself.
The flour is yours.