Fall Has Arrived – Pumpkin Style!

Well it is officially Fall! Get ready for holiday foods, winter boots, family get togethers and…. of course pumpkin products at almost every grocery store! I’ve never baked pumpkin bread before and decided to give it a go the other day since I remembered I had a can of pumpkin purée in my pantry from the time I attempted (but did not execute very well) pumpkin cinnamon rolls. All the other ingredients in pumpkin bread are pretty much staple products most frequent bakers would have. You can find this original recipe at: cupcakesforbreakfast.com

I’m happy to report that my first attempt at pumpkin bread turned out amazing. I heard great reviews from family members and coworkers. I baked two loaves and 6 muffins. The only thing I’d do differently next time is to wait a little longer for the bread to cool so the powdered sugar doesn’t melt. I sprinkled it on the top of the bread and muffins a bit too early, so next time I’ll be more patient, and wait a bit longer. I really love this recipe because the bread is not too sweet, it’s subtle and so it the pumpkin flavor. You know it’s pumpkin bread but the taste is not overwhelming artificial (you know what I’m talking about). Also, this bread came out so moist! Oh my goodness, it taste so delicious. It was hard for me to give it away, but it’s important to share the wealth (and get others peoples opinions). Here is the recipe, enjoy and share it with the people you love.

Pumpkin Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Bake time 60 min
Oven Temp 350 degrees

3 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (or a mixture of nutmeg & cinnamon)
1 (16oz) can of pumpkin purée
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs

Line both pans with parchment paper or coat with cookie spray or butter. I greased the bottom of the loaf pans with butter and then put parchment paper on top. With the muffins I just greased it with butter.
First in a bowl combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and pie spice). If you don’t have a sifter you can always use a whisk to get the lumps out. Set this bowl aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Then in a large mixing bowl add in all the wet ingredients. In no specific order. I think I added the purée first and the eggs last. Mix together with mixer or use spoon however if you use a spoon make sure all the ingredients marry together. Once all the wet ingredients are fully mixed together, go ahead and add in the dry ingredients 1/2 a cup at a time. You don’t want to overwhelm the mixture with too much flour too quickly. Once you have added in all dry ingredients, and mixture is well combined you can pour into two separate loaf pans. Or in my case 2 loaf pans and a 6 tray muffin pan. I made muffins for myself because it’s quicker in the morning to grab a muffin rather than cut into a loaf. Not much quicker but when you wake up at 5am and have to be out the door by 6:15-6:30am it’s just easier to grab and go rather than cut, grab and go… You get my drift. 🙂

Anyways, bake loaves for 60 min, check on it 45 min to see the progress. After 60 min stick fork in the middle of the loaf and if it comes out clean, it’s done! The muffins only took 15-20 minutes. Let cool for 25-30 minutes then sprinkle powdered sugar on top… So delicious. Eat and enjoy my friend, watch out though because this is a crowd pleaser!

Pineapple Banana Bread (made with coconut oil!)

 This recipe is so simple and easy to make, I love recipes that only require one mixing bowl. It is also different from you regular banana bread. The pineapple elevates the flavor and adds that extra sweetness to it. I baked the bread in one loaf pan and then with the remaining batter, I made a dozen muffins. I didn’t get to cut into the bread because it was a gift for my dear friend Valeria, who currently lives about 2 hours away.

Valeria has been a friend of mine since I was in 1^st grade, we have known each other our whole childhood and grew up in the same small town. Since I was not able to attend her party, I sent up the bread, muffins and other treats with a friend who did go to the birthday soiree. When I got the phone call the next day about how happy she was with the gift and how the delicious everything was, I knew I did something right. Happy Birthday Valeria!

This recipe is from Averie Cooks, I love her blog! All the sweet treats you could think of! Link below.

http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/03/pineapple-coconut-oil-banana-bread.html

 

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 ¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup coconut oil (you can also use vegetable oil or butter)

A pinch of salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 ¼ cup of ripe smashed bananas (I used 3 medium sized bananas)

1 cup diced pineapples (canned pinepples)

Instructions:

In one large mixing bowl combine the coconut oil, buttermilk, eggs, sugars and vanilla. Whisk all ingredients.

Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and stir. Mix well enough so all ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix, or else the gluten will overdevelop and the bread will come out tough.

Stir in bananas. Before you stir in the pineapple make sure they are not carrying too much liquid. I squeezed the pineapple with my fingers to remove the excess liquid. Careful not to over mix the batter.

Use cooking spray (I use Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil spray) to coat the loaf pan. Then pour batter until loaf pan is a little over half way full. You can bake this using two loaf pans or bake one loaf and a dozen muffins. The muffins are also excellent! They are a yummy on the go breakfast when in a rush.

Preheat over to 350 degrees and bake the loaf for about 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

I baked the muffins for about 20 minutes at the same temperature.

Allow the bread to cool for about 20 minutes before removing from pan. I used a mix of powdered sugar and whole milk for the glaze. It was just to add a little extra sweetness.

Store in a airtight container or foil. Bread is delicious with tea, or coffee in the morning. Enjoy!