Pumpkin Bread



Pumpkin is excellent during the holiday season, and this bread is not only delicious but this modified recipe contains no addictive white flour or white sugar.  The original recipe came from the October 2000 Bon Appetit magazine. 

 

I use my own pumpkin puree which I make from small pie pumpkins that I grow in my garden.  I will post how to prepare your own pumpkin puree soon.  Pumpkins are very easy to grow in Texas.  You can also use canned pumpkin.  This is another recipe (like lemon poppy seeds muffins) in which you can use fresh cream that has soured if you have it.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

  (or 1 1/2 cups soft white wheat berries, finely ground)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 stick unsalted organic butter, room temperature

2/3 cup pure honey

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup pumpkin, pureed

~ 1 1/2 tsp grated organic lemon peel (peel from one fresh lemon)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream (I use fresh heavy cream that has soured)

1/2 cup milk (I use fresh raw milk)

1 cup chopped walnuts

 

Preheat oven to 325 °F.  Butter and flour a glass or metal large loaf pan.  Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Set to the side.  Beat butter with honey in a large bowl.  Beat into the butter mixture the eggs, then pumpkin, lemon peel and vanilla.  Whisk sour cream and milk in another small bowl.  Beat flour mix and sour cream mix alternately into the pumpkin batter.  Fold in nuts.  Pour into loaf pan and bake until toothpick poked in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Cool briefly in pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack.  Enjoy with homemade butter.