Pumpkin Bread

I keep telling myself that I must write down this recipe before I forget it or lose it, so here goes...

When we visited Miami in 2006, one of the things I brought home in my luggage  was a packet of Williams-Sonoma cake mix for “Pumpkin Bread”.  I made it; it was scrumptious, and for several years afterwards I tried to find a recipe to duplicate it.  The only recipe I remember  had “pumpkin pie spice mix” listed as an ingredient.  Fast forward to our next trip to Miami in 2014 and, this time, I fly back to the UK with several jars of “pumpkin pie spice”.

Do you think that I could find the recipe mentioned earlier?  No.  These jars remained unopened, in the pantry, for years.  Fast forward to the end of last year when, in a fit of inspiration, I decided to search the internet again for a pumpkin bread recipe.  On someone’s blog, I found a picture of a recipe, cut from an ancient magazine.  Oddly, they didn’t give directions, just the photo.

(Sadly, while I saved a copy of the photo, I didn’t make a note of whose blog or I’d credit them.)

We don’t get canned pumpkin here, but a month or two ago, I bought a couple of large butternut squash in L!dl and decided to have a go making it with them.  After three attempts, I think I’ve nailed it.  I’ve also swapped in oil for the butter.  You need to bake the pumpkin/squash the day before you make the loaves.  It freezes well, so don’t be put off by having to make two loaves:

Pumpkin Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients

1 medium sized butternut squash

2 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (aka baking soda)

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups castor sugar

2 eggs

Spices: 

Either use 

1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

or use:

1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Method

1. The day before, prepare your butternut squash:-
• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Cut it in half lengthwise.  DO NOT PEEL.
• Scoop out the seeds and discard them.
• Place the squash, cut side down, onto a baking tray and bake for an hour.
• Allow to cool before removing from the tray.
• Once cold, use a spoon to scoop out the pulp.  Deposit it into a bowl and weigh it.  The original recipe requires a 440g can, but I’ve made it with 450g, 350g and with 530g of pulp.  All three versions have been successful.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.  Line two loaf pans with baking paper..
3. In a food processor or blender, combine the sugar, the oil and the eggs.  Blend.
4. Add the pumpkin pulp and process until combined.  (It may be a bit grainy.  That’s OK.)
5. Finally, add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between two lined loaf pans and bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Once cooked, remove the two loaves from the loaf pans and cool on a cake rack.
8. If you are freezing a loaf, leave it in its baking paper, slide it into a freezer bag, seal and freeze. 

Enjoy!

- Pam

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