Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Pumpkin-Cranberry Bread

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Hey guess what. It's like 36 hours until Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone's concerned with the big meal right? Well what the heck do you eat beforehand? Like breakfast-wise? You don't have the time or the real estate in your belly to do a big, hot breakfast. 

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You need a quick bread that's spiced and sweet with tart cranberries (It's fruit! It's good for you!) to wake you up. It's the kind of thing you can keep going back for because despite its short stature, it's really a light bread.

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You don't have to sprinkle powdered sugar over it, but it sure makes it look pretty.

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Let's get it together: Pumpkin puree, vanilla, brown butter, eggs, flour, sour cream, fresh cranberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Whew.

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Brown butter and both sugars. Nothing is lovelier.

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Adding in sour cream and pumpkin. Nothing is silkier.

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It's the brightest of fall oranges.

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Let's distribute our spices and our leavening agents evenly with a quick whisking.

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It's a fluffy batter just begging for the weight of a tart cranberry.

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Gently fold the cranberries in so the batter retains some lightness.

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I do my best to make everything smooth-like. Invariably some always ends up on the side. I consider that my crunchies for later.

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No lie, I love me some Pam + flour. My breads slide out like a dream. 

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Powdered sugar is like fairy dust. 

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Little bursts of cranberry red.

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I can't have bread without butter. Butter sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with ginger and cinnamon makes the best topping for this pumpkin bread.

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Pumpkin-Cranberry Bread (makes one 9-inch loaf)
Adapted from this bread

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 c brown butter, cooled
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree 
3/4 c sour cream (yogurt may be substituted)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 c fresh cranberries, rinsed
  • Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Thoroughly grease a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together brown and granulated sugar with the brown butter. It will be fluffy and make you want to eat it straight from the bowl. Add the pumpkin puree and yogurt and stir until well-blended and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine. 
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and next 6 ingredients (through cloves). Add to the wet ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Fold in cranberries and spoon batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake 55 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the bread and turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
  • Eat it whenever the spirit moves you, which for me is any time I walk by it. Just sayin.

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