Pumpkin Bread

This is the last hurrah from our homegrown pumpkins.  I can't believe I'm still making meals with them and baking with them either.  We had a bumper crop this year and I've been cooking/baking with them so much I'm practically orange (no Trump jokes please).  There was this Spiced Pumpkin Banana Bundt Cake that I posted on Bakelife recently and this Warm Roasted Cauliflower and Butter Bean Salad with Pumpkin Hummus.  This Chunky Roasted Pumpkin and Corn Soup with Garlic Crostini and this delicious No-Knead Spelt and Pumpkin Bread.  There was even this Tortelli Piacentini Stuffed with Roasted Pumpkin and Almonds and Dressed with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Leaves.  You could say I've covered all the bases (or an entire menu) when it comes to making use of my homegrown bounty of the delicious orange fruit... and I did it all without a comb-over.  It's my blog, so I'm allowed to crack the jokes... even if they're lame.😝

Pumpkin Bread

slightly adapted from here

For the Bread:

4 eggs

1 cup caster sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup pumpkin puree (I put ½ small-medium pumpkin (Kent), cut-side down on a baking tray and roast for 45 minutes until soft, then scoop out the flesh and blitz with a stick blender)

¾ cup sunflower oil

1½ cups "00" flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (recipe below)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pumpkin Pie Spice:

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1½ teaspoons ground allspice

1½ teaspoons ground cloves

Make the Spice Mix:

Mix all of the spices together and store in an airtight jar.

Make the Bread:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease and line a 23 cm x 13 cm loaf pan with baking paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.  Add the pumpkin puree and oil and whisk until smooth.

Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt and use a large metal spoon to fold until the dry ingredient are just incorporated and the batter is smooth.  Don't over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 - 70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.