he
pumpkin has a long history in North America. The early colonists used it in
both sweet and savory dishes, making stews, breads, porridges, puddings and
pies. Fall is its harvest time which is when we use it most in our baking. I
think that is because its sweet, mild, earthy flavor seems more suited to
the Fall/Winter months than in the heat of Summer.
Of course, there is no denying that the most popular pumpkin dessert is
the pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving would not be complete without it. However,
the pumpkin's flavor and smooth texture are also excellent in quick
breads. Scones, muffins, and loaves are transformed when pumpkin puree,
along with ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are added. Their color
becomes a muted orange/brown and their texture is wonderfully dense and
moist. For this recipe I have also added fresh cranberries so when you cut
into this bread, the red berries seem to pop out at you. I love how the
tartness of the berries contrasts to the sweetness of the bread. This
bread also has the flavor of orange as we add both freshly squeezed orange
juice and its zest.
This recipe comes from Anna Olson's book "Sugar". I
love this book as I find her recipes innovative. It is based on her
cooking show on Food Network Canada which, unfortunately, those of us
living in the States cannot watch. She tells us that this bread is baked
at a lower temperature because it contains more liquid than most quick
breads and the moisture needs to be slowly absorbed so the outside of the
bread will
not become too brown. This means that the bread will take longer to bake (up to
90 minutes). Pumpkin Cranberry Bread is lovely plain, with butter, or with
cream cheese and it freezes very well.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
F (160 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter and lightly
flour one - 9 by 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.
Pumpkin
Cranberry Bread:
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,
salt, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
In the bowl of
your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until
light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after
each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and orange juice,
in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
Fold in the chopped cranberries. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake
the bread for about 80 - 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the
center of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from oven
and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes before removing bread from
pan. Can serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the
refrigerator or else freeze for later use.
Makes 1 loaf.
Sources:
Daly, Regan. In the Sweet Kitchen. Random
House Canada: 2000.
All content on this site is
either original or has been significantly modified and changed from its
credited original source. Use of materials on Joyofbaking.com is
entirely at the risk of the user and Joyofbaking.com or Stephanie Jaworski
will not be responsible for any damages directly or indirectly resulting
from the use.
This
website and the contents thereof are not endorsed or sponsored by the owner
of the "Joy of Cooking" series of books or its publisher Simon & Schuster,
Inc.
Content in any form may
not be copied or used without written permission of Stephanie Jaworski,
Joyofbaking.com. Students and non profit educators may use content without
permission with proper credit.
Page loading ... Please wait.
