I really love pumpkin. I think I could happily eat pumpkin muffins all day long. This week I baked a batch using a recipe from my “homemade cookbook.” It’s nothing fancy, just a three-ring binder I filled years ago with family recipes. One of my favorite aunts once sent me nine emails, each with a recipe from my grandma. I printed them on card stock, hole-punched them, and tucked them into that binder. It’s one of my most treasured kitchen keepsakes.
Pumpkin Bread
ingredients:
1 3/4 C. Pumpkin (1can)
3 1/3 C. Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
2 C. Sugar
2/3 C. Butter
2/3 C. Water
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
I’ll be honest, I don’t always follow the “rules” when it comes to baking. Instead of mixing wet and dry ingredients separately, I usually just put everything into one bowl and let my beloved KitchenAid mixer do the work.
For bread, bake at 350° for just under an hour. This time, I made 24 muffins and one loaf. The muffins came out at about 35 minutes, and the bread I baked for 45 minutes, then turned off the oven and let it sit another 15. If you’re not sure, 350° for about 40 minutes is a good place to start—then just do the toothpick check.
A little family memory: My grandma made the best pumpkin pie. As a little girl, I couldn’t quite say “pumpkin,” so I called it “punky pie.” The funny part is that I kept saying it well into adulthood, without realizing it, until my husband finally pointed it out to me. It makes me smile every time I think of it.
There’s something so comforting about these simple recipes passed down through generations. They aren’t just food, they’re little pieces of family history, wrapped up in flour, sugar, and love.
For the frosting I used a recipe I found here.
Yumm-O! I could eat pumpkin all the time too. I have some leftover pumpkin puree and I'm thinking about mixing it in my oatmeal tomorrow morning with some cinnamon. Mmmm… 🙂
I've been using this recipe for pumpkin muffins: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/10/13/recipe-conection-one-bowl-pumpkin-breadmuffins/
I love how she takes the original 'how grandma used to make it' recipe and then offers suggestions to make them healthier. A great way to implement baby steps to healthful baking!
Very cool! I'd like to try her recipe. It seems almost every baked good recipe Chad or I have from our mothers or grandparents takes globs of shortening.. What is shortening anyway? Oh never mind, I probably don't want to know.. At least not until the last few muffins have disappeared. haha.
😉 You're right, you don't want to know. It's bad news. After all the muffins are gone, here's a good read: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/06/01/search-out-trans-fats/
I've found the same thing to be true about all my grandma's beloved recipes. Luckily you can almost always substitute real butter with great results!