It's been a long time since I updated and the reason is quite simple: I really don't cook much anymore because law school has taken over my life.
However, a week ago, I got an intense craving for pumpkin bread (fall has slipped into winter and the Starbucks red cups are out!). I love the Starbucks loaves, but they're incredibly bad for you and also very overpriced. So I decided to try making my own pumpkin bread!
A quick Internet search led me to an Allrecipes version that had an average 5-star rating from 4,607 reviews. 4,607! I decided that this would probably be a safe bet. I can't take much credit for this because I followed the recipe pretty exactly, making some modifications suggested by various reviewers. Thanks to the modifications, this recipe is actually quite healthy, as far as desserts go, and I will definitely be making it again soon. Also, I can vouch for the fact that this recipe freezes very well, so even if you think the full recipe is a bit much, feel free to freeze half of it and have it the next week!
Some reviewers suggested having this with cream cheese frosting, but I think it tastes really great on its own ... feel free to experiment, though!
Easily serves 24 people.
Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce (I used sweetened, but unsweetened would probably also be fine)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
(Note: I was pretty casual about these measurements, probably erring on the side of going over - I like the spicy kick and it was delicious)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- I didn't add "toppings" when I made this, because they add a lot of extra calories. However, if you want to be a bit more decadent, I think some lightly toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachios) or dark chocolate chips would be excellent in this.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans (I used one 9x3 inch loaf pan and also made about nine muffins, and instead of greasing/flouring, I simply lined the loaf pan with parchment paper and lined the muffin tin with cupcake liners).
3. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, vanilla extract and sugar until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just combined - don't over-mix!
6. Pour into the prepared pans.
7. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
IMPORTANT NOTE about baking time:
If you are making muffins, they will obviously bake much sooner than this, so check once they smell done (start at the 20-minute mark).
By contrast, in the larger loaf pan, what can start to happen is that the top will burn while the inside is still gooey. If this happens, take out the loaf pan, cover it with aluminum foil, and then bake for another 10 minutes. This will cook the inside while protecting the top.
Modified slightly from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/downeast-maine-pumpkin-bread/Detail.aspx
However, a week ago, I got an intense craving for pumpkin bread (fall has slipped into winter and the Starbucks red cups are out!). I love the Starbucks loaves, but they're incredibly bad for you and also very overpriced. So I decided to try making my own pumpkin bread!
A quick Internet search led me to an Allrecipes version that had an average 5-star rating from 4,607 reviews. 4,607! I decided that this would probably be a safe bet. I can't take much credit for this because I followed the recipe pretty exactly, making some modifications suggested by various reviewers. Thanks to the modifications, this recipe is actually quite healthy, as far as desserts go, and I will definitely be making it again soon. Also, I can vouch for the fact that this recipe freezes very well, so even if you think the full recipe is a bit much, feel free to freeze half of it and have it the next week!
Some reviewers suggested having this with cream cheese frosting, but I think it tastes really great on its own ... feel free to experiment, though!
Easily serves 24 people.
Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce (I used sweetened, but unsweetened would probably also be fine)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
(Note: I was pretty casual about these measurements, probably erring on the side of going over - I like the spicy kick and it was delicious)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- I didn't add "toppings" when I made this, because they add a lot of extra calories. However, if you want to be a bit more decadent, I think some lightly toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachios) or dark chocolate chips would be excellent in this.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans (I used one 9x3 inch loaf pan and also made about nine muffins, and instead of greasing/flouring, I simply lined the loaf pan with parchment paper and lined the muffin tin with cupcake liners).
3. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, vanilla extract and sugar until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just combined - don't over-mix!
6. Pour into the prepared pans.
7. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
IMPORTANT NOTE about baking time:
If you are making muffins, they will obviously bake much sooner than this, so check once they smell done (start at the 20-minute mark).
By contrast, in the larger loaf pan, what can start to happen is that the top will burn while the inside is still gooey. If this happens, take out the loaf pan, cover it with aluminum foil, and then bake for another 10 minutes. This will cook the inside while protecting the top.
Modified slightly from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/downeast-maine-pumpkin-bread/Detail.aspx
