Food Recipe: Pumpkin Raisin Walnut Bread - From Scratch!
I blame binge watching Great British Baking Show (again) on Netflix for the early appearance of my 5th annual Pumpkin Bread rollout. This is one of the few baking recipes I bust out every year that is absolutely from scratch, and it makes me feel like Julia fricken Child (accent and everything) when it comes out of the oven, and boy will your kitchen smell amazing when it does.
Every year when I finally get around to making this bread, it just makes me feel like Fall is finally here, along with fuzzy socks, apple cider, and orange leaves...even if it is still 90 degrees outside.
I'll fess up, this recipe isn't my own (you can find the original here) though I have adapted it to fit my budget and stuff I usually have in my pantry.
Let's get started!
Ingredients: My deviations are in red
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar (I used cane sugar because that's what I had on hand. Didn't kill anyone and still tasted the same)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (walnuts all the way)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves (left this out - a little jar of this was hella expensive so I didn't bother with it)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (left this out - not a huge fan of ginger)
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup of vegetable oil
** Please be sure to double check your measurements, because I almost goofed and added a TABLESPOON of baking soda on accident. No bueno.
Method: My deviations are in red
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350° (325° convection).
Step 2 In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, nuts, raisins, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves, allspice, and ginger until well blended. (Again, I left out the cloves and ginger because ya girl is a bit broke right now and I just didn't want to add ginger. Let it go, Elsa.)
Step 3 In another bowl, whisk together eggs, Mashed Pumpkin, and oil until well blended. (As I mentioned earlier, I was distracted by Great British Baking Show and accidentally put everything all in one bowl. Still came out fine, but I usually follow the directions to a T, so this mistake had me freaked out until I got to taste it)
Step 4 Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir just until well blended. Pour equally into two oiled 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans (with 2 2/3-cup capacity each). (I used a multi mini loaf pan AND a cupcake tin and filled everything up by eyeball)
Step 5 Bake until bread pulls from pan sides and a wooden skewer (or wooden chop stick, because that's what I had) inserted in center of thickest part comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let bread cool in pans on a rack for about 15 minutes. Cut around outside edges of bread and invert onto racks. Cool thoroughly.
Step 6
Stuff Face :)
All your ingredients from my version (but you won't need two cans of pumpkin, that second one just wandered in)
Sugar, salt, brown sugar, and flour all thrown together
Just look at those expensive as heck raisins!
I know what you're thinking, I should be a professional ingredients photographer. I've considered it.
Almost everybody in the pool!
Pumpkin finally gets invited to the party!
Yes, I like to watch mixing on Great British Baking Show while I'm actually mixing.
Look at that goodness :) All ready for the oven!
Lookin' ANNNNND smellin' so abso-freakin-lutely good
Long story short, I make this bread every year because it's the bees knees, it's awesome, and I make it several times in two seasons because it goes just.that.fast. I've even included mini loafs in homemade goodie bags as "thank you's" or presents when the holiday season has been a little tight because when I make this bread, it's easy to see how much love (and strength if you're mixing by hand) goes into making every batch. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family, friends, and I do!
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