Maple Pumpkin Bread

Here is the last of my pumpkin recipes for a while. If you’ve missed any of them, here they are:

Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Pancakes

My last recipe for pumpkin bread is what is known as a Quick bread. All this really means is that it doesn’t use yeast as a raising agent. Quick breads tend to end up drive and that is usually because of over mixing. You can mix your wet ingredients for as long as you want, but as soon as you put the flour into it and give it a mix, gluten starts to develop. It’s important to just mix the ingredients together until just barely combined. It’s okay if you still see a little bit of dry flour hanging around. I like to fold my dry ingredients into the wet to insure that I’m over mixing. My pumpkin bread is scrumptious. It’s moist, flavorful and everything a good pumpkin bread should be.

What You Need:

2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c maple syrup (the real stuff, I’ve never tried the recipe with pancake syrup)
1/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c veg oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 c chopped toasted walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan well and set aside.
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix well so that everything is incorporated evenly.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, toasted walnuts, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Dump the entire thing into the wet ingredients. Fold in the dry until just combined. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Blueberry Muffins

A good blueberry muffin doesn't take a lot of effort, but it does take some skill. The skill lies and being able to not over mix the batter. As with most quick breads (muffins are a quick bread), you don't want the flour to develop to much gluten. So you mix it until it's just barely combined and get it in the oven. If you over mix your batter, the muffins can come out dense and dry. These blueberry muffins have a hint of lemon in them from some lemon zest and a unique flavor from the sour cream. The sour cream also helps to keep them moist. Right now where I live it's the middle of winter and blueberries are out of season. However, I stocked up on them during the summer and had a pretty good supply in my freezer, the last of which I used to make these muffins. If you do use frozen berries, instead of fresh, you will most likely have to add about 5 minutes onto your cooking time.

What You Need:

1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick butter, room temp
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c milk
zest from 1 lemon
1 pint blueberries

What To Do:

Cream together the room temperature butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is incorporated well before adding the next. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Remove two tablespoons of the dry ingredients and toss it with the blueberries. This will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your muffins. Combine the dry ingredients, along with the sour cream, milk and lemon zest into the butter and egg mixture. Gently fold everything together until just combined before folding in the blueberries. Divide among 12 lined cupcakes and bake in a preheat 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted int he middle comes out clean.

Easy Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia

Focaccia is a large, thin, semi flat Italian bread. It is dimpled, brushed with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with all sorts of things. It's great along with just about any dish or even sliced up for sandwich bread. This recipe is so simple anyone can make it, even if they don't have any bread making experience. A simple pizza dough from your local grocery store or pizza place takes the place of all the hard work. All you need to do is stretch the dough, let it rise and cover with your toppings.

What You Need:

1 ball of pizza dough
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs minced fresh rosemary
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp coarse sea salt

What To Do:

Coat a 13x9 baking sheet with 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil. Place the pizza dough onto the sheet, turning it over so that the olive oil coats it. Press it out as much as you can to get it fit the baking pan. Don't worry if you can't get to completely fit just yet. Cover the pan and dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes.
After the rise, work the dough to fit the pan as best as possible. Brush with the remaining 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the rosemary, garlic and salt. Take your fingers and press dimples into the dough randomly. Preheat your oven to 500 for just 10 minutes before placing the bread into the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until browned and cooked through.