Every Fall when I was little, my mom would make pumpkin bread. Some years she would get bored and “experiment” by adding chocolate chips or nuts, or by sprinkling a hearty helping of sugar and cinnamon on top of the loaf. But my favorite version was always the one without the extra ingredients. I loved the taste of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg, and I still remember the way the house smelled as the bread baked. Even now when I smell pumpkin, cinnamon and sugar, there’s something vaguely familiar and comforting about it.
When I was on the phone with my mom the other day, she mentioned that she was making a loaf of pumpkin bread. I had been craving pumpkin, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I wanted to make my own pumpkin bread, but not just any loaf: I wanted it to be dense, sugary and slightly spicy. The best loaves I’ve ever tasted have a super moist crumb, and I wanted to achieve this in my baking.
Luckily, it turned out exactly the way I had hoped: The spices were well proportioned, the bread was moist and sugary, and the smells in my apartment as the loaf baked rivaled those of a Yankee Candle. Even though this might not be a good idea for health reasons, I also highly recommend indulging in a spoonful spoonfuls of batter pre-baking…If I could, I would use the batter as a topping on ice cream or other desserts. It was a treat in and of itself.
I brought the loaf to work today, and when I went to the kitchen to get my lunch, it had already disappeared. People came by my desk and told me how much they liked the bread, and I told them I’d bring another one, soon. This time I might follow old tradition and “experiment” by adding streusel on top…
Super Moist Pumpkin Bread (adapted from here)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Sugar
- 3-⅓ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1-½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 3 strips aluminum foil
Directions:
Add wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin, oil, water) to the dry ingredients all at once.
Mix well with a mixer till smooth.
Grease 3 loaf pans (9×4) and pour equal amounts of batter into each pan. Alternatively, you can use one larger (and deeper) pan like I did, and pour about 3/4 of the batter in. But you will still have some left over.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. You’ll know it’s ready when the top starts cracking and a toothpick comes out clean.
Set out to cool for about 5 minutes.
Here’s the trick on keeping it super moist:
After letting it cool for about 5 minutes, take out a roll of aluminum foil. Pull out a large piece and then turn over the pan to drop one of the loaves right smack in the middle. Quickly fold the foil over (taking care not to burn the crap out of your fingers) and secure very tightly. Then set aside and let it cool off while being wrapped in the foil. Repeat and do the same to the other two loaves.
allezlefood.com 