Perfect bread for holiday preparation
The holidays are barreling toward us like a runaway train and I’m not ready…so what am I going to do? Take a trip down the lazy river.Steve and I are planning a pre-Thanksgiving trip on our beloved St. Johns River in a few weeks so I’ve started putting together some recipes for things I can make ahead and things that will be easy to cook on a small propane stove in the cockpit of our little sailboat.
One of my favorite breads on which to snack while on the water is Pumpkin Bread. It tastes a little like pumpkin pie, but is heartier and keeps well for a couple of days in an airtight container.
It can be a filling breakfast bread or a dessert for a lantern-lit dinner. It also makes for good snacking while underway when you don’t want to stop to cook something.
If you’re stuck at home getting ready for the holidays, it’s a great food to eat to put you in the mood for the upcoming cooking marathons.
Pumpkin is high in Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene and has quite a bit of Vitamin C as well. This squash is low in calories and fat (that is not really the case when you bake it into bread, though this recipe is fairly healthy).
This recipe is easily doubled and you can eat one loaf now and freeze the other for later for those days when you’re wiped out from shopping and don’t feel like cooking. Keep in mind that this goes surprisingly well with hot chocolate.
Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
· In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. In a second large bowl, combine sugar, oil, honey, milk, pumpkin, egg and vanilla then add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in raisins.
· Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour.
· Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack then remove from pan and set aside to let cool completely.
Vegetarian.
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
· In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. In a second large bowl, combine sugar, oil, honey, milk, pumpkin, egg and vanilla then add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in raisins.
· Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour.
· Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack then remove from pan and set aside to let cool completely.
Vegetarian.
