I feel like I’m late to the pumpkin party this year. Starbucks’ PSL came out before the summer even ended and other delicious pumpkin recipes have been popping up all over social media. Orange is the official color of October and November; pumpkin is the food that comes knocking before the big turkey day. Yup, we’re less than a month away from Thanksgiving and I haven’t a clue what I’ll be posting for the blog. Blogging and time management at its finest.
But let’s face it – this pumpkin fest ain’t over until the fat turkey sings. I’m going to get all gushy about Thanksgiving for the next few weeks but it is my favorite holiday. Any day that revolves around food and sleeping is my kind of holiday.
So to bookend Halloween and kick off the Thanksgiving season, I’ve got something in the spirit of pumpkin to share with you. Last year, it was pumpkin soufflé. This year, it’s pumpkin spice bread. If I rename it to pumpkin spice loaf, then we’ve got our very own “PSL”. Something to think about, folks.
This one is easier than the soufflés, I can promise you that. This one follows the tradition of mixing dry and wet ingredients together and there is no fear of things not rising properly in the oven. The flavors in this will be slightly sweet with a delicate touch of pumpkin and a whisper of cinnamon. And the texture? Super moist and incredibly dense.
May I recommend toasting a slice with a pad of butter on top?
Pumpkin Spice Bread
By W.
Makes 2 mini loaves
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground clove
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Prep two mini bread pans by lining with butter.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg together. Whisk everything together and set aside.
In a larger bowl, mix butter and sugar together until homogenous. Add pumpkin puree, milk, and cream cheese and mix again until combined. Crack in the egg, throw in vanilla extract and mix again.
Once the wet ingredients are fully combined, add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold the mixture together until the flour disappears. Pour the pumpkin batter into the bread pans.
Place the mini bread pans onto a small sheet tray for easy transfer. Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting into the center of the loaves. Let cool before cutting or serving.