Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

My cooking for Thanksgiving officially started last night. Five days of cooking lay ahead! I can't wait! With guests arriving today and Wednesday (just because they are my own kids, I still consider them my guests!) and a little family gathering tomorrow night, I have plenty of yummy dishes to whip up. Here is my pumpkin bread recipe that I use from Cook’s Illustrated because it is true you can use canned pumpkin puree that will taste just as good as fresh pumpkin but without all the trouble of messing around preparing the fresh pumpkin. I also use Cook's Illustrated recipe for my pumpkin pie too. The trick is to cook the canned pumpkin first which will get rid of any “fake” pumpkin taste and this will really enhance the flavor.

Makes 2 loaves

Topping

5 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

Using fingers, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and topping resembles wet sand; set aside.

Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces
4 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl.

3. Combine pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture, stirring constantly about 6-8 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

4. Stir in both sugars, oil, and cream cheese.

5 Combine until well mixed. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain and mixture is homogeneous.

6.. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine.

7. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin until combined (some small lumps of flour are O.K.)

8. Fold walnuts into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of each loaf.

9. Bake 45-50 minutes until tested done. Let breads cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pans and let cool for at least 1-1/2 hours.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Comments

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have very many gluten-free cookies on my blog because quite frankly, I usually don't like gluten-free. But occasionally, I do find a good recipe and this is one that is from the back of the Trader Joe's oatmeal and it's a good one. My friend brought some over to our house last weekend when Nick and family were here for our birthday celebrations and we all loved them. My friend lives a few blocks away and we walk the neighborhood together on weekends. We can easily go 5 miles in no time, talking non-stop. She loves exploring our neighborhood as much as I do and we discover so many favorite little spots. We even found a property with a horse (or more like a pony, I should say.) The views are always quite lovely, too. Bruce and I had our thirty-ninth wedding anniversary on July 18th and I made a point of walking past the house where we had our wedding reception. I told my friend, "Thirty-nine years ago today, t...

Meatloaf by Mark Bittman

Once again, I turned on the television yesterday and saw that Mark Bittman was on the Today show and was making his version of meatloaf . This must be meatloaf season. It was surprisingly similar to the Pioneer Woman's version who was also recently on. I was a little surprised of his version because Mark Bittman is into healthy eating and has lost a lot of weight and improved his health by changing his diet which he writes about in his book, Food Matters . His meatloaf recipe also included bacon and cheese! I must be doing something wrong. The thing to remember, which he writes about in his book, is that you can eat healthy without going extreme or changing your whole life. If you don't know who Mark Bittman is, he is a food writer and a four star chef with multiple cookbooks who loves to eat but changed his food philosophy to improve his health. He tells his story in Food Matters and provides ...

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

This hearty vegetarian soup warms up chilly nights. Use any type of canned beans you happen to have on hand and add chicken or Italian sausage for a heftier dish, if you prefer. Makes 4-6 servings 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 tsp. salt, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups vegetable broth, divided 7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch) 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and saute 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. 2. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simme...

Sylvia's Scenario

Search This Blog