I feel pretty proud of this pumpkin bread. It has a wonderful tender crumb, is moist without being gummy, and the crust is crunchy without being obnoxious. It’s just sweet enough, and is full of healthy fats, not to mention sprouted flour (which digests as a vegetable).
The pumpkin is a puree I made over the winter, from an heirloom pumpkin that I roasted and processed through a ricer, then froze for a future use. While cleaning out my freezer last week, I found it in there and decided to defrost it and use it for… something (I wasn’t sure what exactly at the time). A day later it came to me: I could create a pumpkin bread recipe! One that had all the ingredients I wanted in it, and none that I didn’t.
Back around the holidays, I participated in a “secret santa” gift exchange, and received the Ratio book by Michael Ruhlman (my request). At the time, I wanted to start creating recipes – especially recipes that use unrefined sweeteners. I have found some recipes that I like but not that many. So, I thought the solution would be to create some of my own.
Understanding ratios – how ingredients relate to each other in appropriate proportions – is key in this endeavor. I look at ratios as important knowledge and a way to harness deeper creativity in cooking. Knowing these ratios – for baking and cooking – allows one to improvise in a way one might not feel comfortable enough with a spelled out recipe.
One would think these ratios would be applicable primarily to baking, since baking is perceived as a bit more persnickety than cooking. But the Ratio book also discusses things like stocks, rouxs, meats, mayonnaise, and custards. These all are based on specific proportions, too, just like muffins, or pound cake, or crepes.
Ratios are successful when one employs weight instead of volume; hence the lack of cups in the following recipe. Indicating weight instead of volume means that one can swap out one flour for another – spouted spelt for wheat, or freshly ground flour for prepared flour – without knocking the proportions off kilter.
I hope this doesn’t scare you off. A kitchen scale is an excellent tool and could become your best friend in the kitchen. I’ve used one for 20 years and can’t imagine my kitchen without it.
And believe me, this pumpkin bread is worth it.
The flavors in this bread are very simple, with cinnamon being the only spice used. You could easily add additional spices that you like – nutmeg, cloves, ginger, even chopped crystalized ginger! You might consider adding nuts, too. It’s a fine recipe in which to be creative in this respect.
Also, this bread keeps out on the counter for a couple days, max, because it’s a moist bread. I’d recommend storing it in the fridge if you plan to keep it longer.
Ingredients
8 oz sprouted wheat flour
4 oz sucanat
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
6 oz whole milk
2 large eggs
2 oz melted butter (1/2 stick)
2 oz coconut oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease the loaf pan, then make a “sling”: lay a long wide strip of parchment paper across the length pan so that the paper hangs over the edges. When the bread is done, you’ll then be able to easily lift the bread out of the pan by holding onto the overhanging paper.
Combine the flour, sucanat, sea salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, butter, and coconut oil in a large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the pumpkin until it is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife or cake tester inserted into the bread comes out clean.
