Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread Image by @Trendy_Rowdy/iStockPhoto.com

By Hancock Shaker Village September 30, 2020

This sweet yet hearty pumpkin bread, adapted from a recipe by Chef Brian Alberg, is delicious with breakfast, at teatime, or heated and topped with ice cream for dessert.

Makes: 1 loaf

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan.
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup rye flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pure pumpkin puree, either fresh from a roasted pumpkin or canned (do not use pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Combine both flours and the cinnamon, ginger, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl until incorporated. Combine the sugars, melted butter, water, eggs, and pumpkin in a large bowl until fully blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together gently. Do not overmix, or the batter will become starchy and tough.
Once the batter has barely come together, pour into the prepared loaf pan and place in the oven. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. The length of baking time may depend on the amount of moisture in the pumpkin puree.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Gently run a thin knife around the edges of the bread before it cools, to loosen from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Gently tip the pan over and ease the bread out carefully so as not to tear the loaf. Allow to continue to cool on the rack before peeling off the parchment paper and serving.

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