Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread to me is just one of those breads that warms the soul. This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. Make this bread and your neighbors will smell it and break down your door. No need to buy baked goods from Starbucks when you have a recipe like this up your sleeve!


Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 buttermilk

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F and grease two loaf pans with non stick spray or butter. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all of the spices.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree and sugars. Martha suggests using an electric mixer on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, but I just mixed it by hand until well combined. Add the eggs and oil and mix until combined. Add half the flour and mix just until barely combined. Add the buttermilk, then add the flour and mix just until combined.

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Place loaf pans on a cookie sheet and bake for 55-60 minutes, rotating the pans 180 degrees half way through. When knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, bread is done. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Of course it can be enjoyed right away, but the next day the flavors will have combined more completely.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

You probably have everything needed to make this bread already in your kitchen. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, see my note below. This recipe produces a sweet and spicy bread that is slightly chewy (in a good way). While it was baking I went for a nice walk in Rock Creek Park to check out the beautiful autumn leaves, fall is so beautiful in D.C. It was nice to come home after walking in the crispy weather to a warm apartment filled with the smell of apples and cinnamon.


Apple Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk*
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces

Topping:
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2-2/3 cup brown sugar (enough to make mixture crumbly)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F. Mix together buttermilk*, sour cream or yogurt, oil, brown sugar, and apple until well combined. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir with a wooden spoon until wet and dry ingredients are completely incorporated.

Pour evenly into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the top of the batter and lightly swirl with a knife.

Bake for about an hour or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Enjoy!

*If you don't have any buttermilk on hand (I didn't), simply make your own. All you do is pour 1 Tbs. of apple or white vinegar, or lemon juice into a 1 cup liquid measuring cup and then fill the rest of it with milk. Let sit for about 5 minutes or until it curdles, and now you have buttermilk. Also, this could easily be turned into a vegan bread by substituting the milk with soy or almond milk, and using soy yogurt instead of dairy yogurt.