Pumpkin season = Autumnal bread.


My idea of pure autumnal bliss would be a long walk in the forest, hand in hand with the other half. The air would be icy and crisp, our breath starting to fog, ends of fingers and toes getting a little chilled, and the leaves around us would be a vision of beauty - golds, browns, burnt oranges, and reds. I might have to add that my idea of bliss would be to return to a beautiful log cabin in the middle of nowhere where we can throw on some comfortable clothes and snuggle next to an open roaring fire as we sip tea and nibble at freshly baked cake.... Given the absence of the walks, a boy (I've been a resident of Singletown for approximately 11 months now), and that beautiful log cabin (I can dream can't I?) I had to make do with throwing on my joggers and zebra slippers and getting all tucked up on the sofa with my slanket, tea, and cake on my own! Hmph.

One step through any supermarket and you'll see that we are indeed in pumpkin season. Parents are being tugged from every direction by eager children, each wanting to grab one so they can carve their very own Jack-O-Lantern and pop it in the doorway for Halloween which is fast approaching (eek). I've yet to buy one this year (but I *will* do it before I leave in just over 3 weeks) but I couldn't help but think back to the old autumnal delights I made last year. The pumpkin that was bought was supposed to be carved but when it came round to it I just couldn't be bothered. Instead, the mothership cooked up a delicious spiced pumpkin soup (that really was to die for) and I roasted the rest of the pumpkin blocks were used to make a simple pumpkin purée of which the bread was formed. Yummy.

The smell of those spices that radiated from the oven, that gentle hum whilst it baked, the smell once it came out... It was all so utterly perfect and encapsulated the true taste (and smell) of autumn. 

This recipe is adapted from A Cozy Kitchen's Pumpkin Bread. I used cups for measurements as at the time my scales were on the blink and face it, cups are far quicker to use - the quicker it was done, the quicker it would bake, the quicker it would cool, the quicker I could eat it... Perfect?

Seeded Pumpkin Loaf (one loaf)

You will need...
  • 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (or make your own like I did using just less than half a pumpkin)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1tsp pumpkin spice mix (1/8 tsp each of nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, and 1/4 of cinnamon).
  • 1 1/4 cups of sugar
  • 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
  • 1 handful of sunflower seeds (for sprinkling over the top)
1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease up a loaf pan with some butter and season with some flour.
N.B. If you're using canned purée then skip straight to point 5 :-)

2. Roast your pumpkin chunks in the oven until nice and soft - this took between an hour and an hour and a half. Just make sure you keep turning them over. I did cover them in foil for a little while to try and get them to steam and not burn.

3. Stick the pumpkin chunks in a food processor and blend until nice and smooth. 

4. Place purée in a sieve to allow the watery liquid to strain off a little bit (otherwise your mixture may be a little too watery).

5. In a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin purée (cooled if you were making it from scratch), oil, eggs, spice mix and the sugar and mix until smooth. 


6. Fold in the flour and seeds and mix well, making sure you don't over beat the mixture.

7. Add the cake mix to your loaf tin - give it a little tap on the surface to get rid of any air bubbles (it's an old habit). Sprinkle on your sunflower seeds and pop in the oven.

8. Wait (ever so patiently) for 50 minutes to an hour until a skewer comes out clean...

9. Cool on a rack and enjoy with a lovely cup of tea! :-)


What's your favourite autumnal recipe?

2 comments:

  1. Oh my god this looks incredible!!!!!!!!!
    I will be over for some shortly!
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe as I remember it tasted incredible too... Unfortunately not made one yet this year but I've been eyeing up the "2 for £3" pumpkins in ASDA... I'm going to miss baking when I'm travelling... I can totally be a travelling baker can't I?! xX

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