Spiced Pumpkin Bread

I made this bread a couple of times before I started blogging. At the time I didn't really appreciate using fresh ginger and orange peel but went ahead and did it anyway. Today it would be unthinkable to go without.

There is a glaze that's supposed to go on top of the bread after baking. I skipped it this time, just looking for the carving pumpkin puree flavor minus any mask or accents. Okay, it was really because I got tired and figured bread unglazed was better than no bread at all. It worked out.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread
adapted from Cooking Club of America
click to print

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/3 c sugar
1 c pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp grated orange peel

Heat oven to 325°F if using a glass dish and 350°F if using a metal pan.


Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and baking powder in medium bowl.


Beat butter and sugar in large bowl at medium-high speed 4 minutes or until light and fluffy.


Add pumpkin, eggs, ginger and 2 teaspoons orange peel; beat at medium speed until well-blended. (Batter may look curdled.)


Slowly beat in flour mixture at low speed just until blended.


Butter 9x5-inch loaf dish. Spoon batter into pan.


Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until edges pull away slightly from sides of pan and center springs back when lightly touched. 

Not quite done after 60 minutes, the bread was baked another 10 minutes.

Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.


Remove from pan; cool completely.


I really liked this bread even without the glaze. Nice and moist, especially since I used the appropriate baking temperature, the ginger and orange are nice touches. Of course, glaze would be good. I am a sugar junky. People who say you can't use a carving pumpkin for baking must have seriously delicate and decisive palates. I can't tell a difference. At all. None of the bread leftover at the end of the day at work indicates no one could tell a difference; if they did, they didn't care.

Cost:

• all-purpose flour: $0.26
• butter, softened: $0.48
• sugar: $0.29
• pumpkin puree: free
• eggs: $0.57
• fresh ginger: $0.04
• orange: $0.23

Total: $1.87, but I'll round up to $2 to consider spices. That makes each of twelve servings about $0.17.

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