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Pumpkin Bread Is Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

YumSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:46 -0700

I've had Autumn on the brain for weeks now, but it wasn't until I received an inquiry about a faithful pumpkin bread recipe that the aromatic, spiced bread crossed my mind. Yet as soon as it did, I found myself craving a loaf of it. There was only one thing to do.

This tried-and-true recipe couldn't be any simpler. It doesn't require an electric beater, and you don't need to spend hours roasting your own pumpkin. The übermoist, not-to-sweet, spiced bread is the perfect breakfast, snack, or edible gift for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or anywhere in between. Want the recipe? Keep reading.

Weekend Well-Being: No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

FitSugar — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0800

So many breads these days are made with enriched flour, corn syrup, and other not-so-healthy ingredients. So if you can make your own, it's so much better for you. Baking your own bread from scratch can be really time-consuming though, since you have to mix the dough, knead it, and wait for it to rise. So I've been using this No-Knead recipe I found in the New York Times for a few years now, and I love it. It involves no kneading whatsoever. It doesn't take much prep time, but you have to let the dough rise for 14 to 20 hours. So I like to prepare the dough the night before, around 8 p.m., and then I can look forward to homemade bread the following day at dinnertime.

To see the recipe, read more.

No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread
New York Times

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 5/8 cups water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

Directions

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 to 20, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about two hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a 30 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: one 1/2-pound loaf.

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Reader Recipe: Monkey Bread

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:00:28 -0700

I swooned when I came across Phasekitty's pictures of her mother's monkey bread. Eating this treat reminds me of hanging out with friends and family. There's nothing better than catching up on good conversation while picking apart pieces of the gooey bread. The best part? Licking the cinnamon sugar off your fingers.
Besides being a great breakfast, dessert, snack, and gift, monkey bread is great to make with kids. To get Phasekitty's family recipe, read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member Phasekitty

Monkey Bread
My mom.

When I was young my mom and I used to make this together on special occasions like Christmas morning and my birthday. It's amazing and perfect for breakfast or dessert. I was inspired to make it after SPM posted Paula Deen's take on it recently. It's very basic and super easy to make.

Ingredients

4 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup) (extra stick of butter optional)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

You can also add nuts or raisins or anything really, but I like mine pure and simple.

Directions
Cast 'o characters

Grease a bundt pan well. Combine the white sugar and cinnamon in a ziploc bag. Open and separate your refrigerated biscuits and cut them into halves, then roll them into balls of dough. Put the dough balls in the bag of cinnamon and sugar and shake well to coat. Arrange them in layers around the bundt pan. If you're using any raisins or nuts, you can sprinkle them in between layers. If you have leftover cinnamon/sugar mix, set it aside. When you're done, they should look something similar to this:

I don't have a bundt pan, but I still suggest using one as more goo will be contained and won't spill out like a lot of mine did. No one likes wasted goo!

Put the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium to high heat. Stir until it's all incorporated, then let it boil for about a minute or so. Pour this ooey gooey liquid into your bundt pan all over them dough balls:

Right about now I'm wishing I had a bundt pan.

Toss it into the oven and bake it for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mmm, we're getting there....

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then flip it over onto a large plate. Let it sit flipped over for a few minutes to let all the ooey gooey goodness drip down. Now this part is optional, but if you like extra goo (and who doesn't like extra goo?) take that leftover cinnamon and sugar mix and put it into a saucepan with a stick of butter. Let it incorporate and boil for a minute or so and then pour it onto the final product.

Before the extra goo...

After extra goo...

I only used 1/2 a stick of butter for my extra goo and it didn't turn out as well - it carmelized a little bit on top - so don't be a doofus like me, toss that whole stick in there!

Oh man...

Pull apart with your fingers and chow down! This is really fun for kids. Careful, it's sticky!!

NOM!

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Reader Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:00:57 -0800

Another one of my latest Fall dessert obsessions I found while browsing the Kitchen Goddess group on TeamSugar. By looking at the photo, I can practically taste the moist texture of the cake! But my favorite part? The recipe source is wren's ex-boyfriend's brother. Who said exes aren't good for anything?

To make this bread, which would be delicious for breakfast, dessert, or as a gift for a friend, read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member wren

Pumpkin Bread
my ex-boyfriend's brother, Brad Allen

This recipe is easy, always comes out moist, and is tasty! It makes 2 loaves and freezes well.

This was the first blog I did when I signed up for Sugar. I didn't belong to any groups then, and also recently remade it, so I thought I'd repost it, now that I belong to KG, in time for fall

Ingredients

2 cup canned pumpkin
3 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3.5 cup flour
2 Tbsp baking soda*
1.5 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp Nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp ginger powder

Directions
Preheat oven at 350.
Grease and flour two 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pans. Blend first 5 ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, oil, water, eggs) and beat for 1 minute on medium.
Add remaining ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) and blend on low speed until moistened. Then beat for one minute on medium speed.
*NOTE: Make sure to sprinkle baking soda evenly when you add it to the batter.
Pour into pans, and bake 60-70 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan.

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'Wich of the Week: Pecan Pumpkin Cakewich

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:00:10 -0700

In Autumn I welcome the arrival of all things pumpkin, whether it's pumpkin lattes at Starbucks, pumpkin chocolate cookies, or pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. So why not pumpkin sandwiches? Inspired by carrot cake with cranberries folded in, this sweet sandwich would make a great dessert or an afternoon snack with cider. Just in time for Halloween, you can make your own pumpkin bread or use a mix from a store like Trader Joe's, which is where I found the apple-cranberry chutney. Get this comfy Fall recipe now.

Delicious Last-Minute Dessert

partysugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:18:39 -0800

I eat a banana for breakfast every morning, so I almost always have them on hand. They're my secret weapon for an easy, fast dessert: chocolate-banana bread pudding. I've made this dessert tons of times and it's a real crowd pleaser. The bananas are lightly caramelized before they're added and the puddings are cooked in a muffin tin making for fun, individual portions. The final dessert is comforting and each bite melts in your mouth. For the delightful recipe, read more

Chocolate-Banana Bread Puddings
From Silvana Nardone

1 tsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
3 bananas, sliced 1/3-inch thick
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
10 slices of white bread, lightly toasted
Six 1.55-oz. milk chocolate bars, broken into small pieces (they melt better than chocolate morsels)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.
In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter with the brown sugar over moderately high heat. Add the banana slices and cook, turning once, until caramelized, about 3 minutes. The bananas should be softened and sticky. Remove from the heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla.
Stack the toasted bread, slice off the crusts, and cut the bread into 4 triangles.
Add the bread to the custard and let soak until the custard is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooled caramelized bananas and the chocolate.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be full). Bake the puddings until puffy and golden, about 25 minutes.

Makes 12.

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Healthy Holiday Recipe: Onion Bread Pudding

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0800

The other day I had a baguette that was past its prime, and my first thought was "I'll make bread pudding." But with all the holiday sweets around, I didn't want to add to the temptation with another dessert. So I dug up this recipe for a savory Onion Bread Pudding instead.

The recipe comes from Cooking Light, and despite the fact that the main ingredients are bread and cheese, this holiday side dish is comparatively low cal and low fat. For nutritional details and step-by-step photos, read more.

Made with sweet onions and Gruyere cheese and seasoned with thyme, this bread pudding has the consistency of stuffing. The flavor is delicate and subtle, like a lighter twist on French onion soup. I served mine as a main dish with a simple salad, but it would also make a delicious side dish for your holiday dinners. Get the recipe here, and check out my photos below.

View 7 Photos ›

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 364 calories, 12.2 g of fat (5.7 g saturated fat), 19.7 g of protein, 43.8 g of carbs, 3.4 g of fiber, 136 mg of cholesterol, 2.1 mg of iron, 806 mg of sodium.

Even Healthier Banana Bread

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Ever since I posted my recipe for Whole Wheat Banana Bread, user Suzanne has been on a quest to make an even healthier Banana Bread and she made one using Quinoa Flour that's posted in my Healthy Recipe Group. I've gotta say that I was rather skeptical, especially with all the steps involved but that bread sure does looks tasty - and it's healthy! To see her inventive recipe, just read more.

"Even Lighter" Banana Bread by user Suzanne:

I've discovered Quinoa flour! I was able to easily substitute 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour with Quinoa flour. This added a full 8 gms protein and only 4 gms of unsaturated fat. The carb count of this bread actually came down by 44 gms from the original light recipe since the 48 gms in the same amount of quinoa was balanced off by it's 46 gms of fiber. I could not tell any difference in either taste or texture from the original light recipe. Then I tried substituting 1/2 cup Winter White whole wheat flour for another of the unbleached all purpose flour and neither the taste or texture was unchanged...

If you do use Quinoa flour, I suggest that you add it in first when mixing the dry ingredients with the wet - that way the protein rich flour will get coated with the wet mixture and it will not make too much gluten when baking. Excess gluten would make for a really dense bread.

My masterpiece - Lightened-up Banana Bread!

I did not invent this already lightened up recipe, but I did tweak it to get it a even a bit lighter... Yum! It was wonderful, even with changing the sugar to Xylitol and substituting Smart Balance Omega Plus for the butter.

(When you start fiddling around with the ingredients like that, it's important to follow the mixing directions - or you might not get the texture right! So, fair warning! Don't slack off on the mixing technique... )

"Even Lighter" Banana Bread:

1/2 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup Quinoa flour
1/2 cup Winter White whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cake flour (yep... it's so much better using both kinds of flour. Really!!! It's a long story, so if you want that info just email me.))
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
3/4 cup Xylitol
3 very ripe bananas - about 1 1/2 cups, mashed well by hand
1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt (I used vanilla and it was fine!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons Smart Balance or any other cholesterole lowering Omega-3 for baking
-3 large high Omnega-3 eggs (Land o Lakes has eggs with 350mg omega-3 per egg!)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with spray for baking w/flour.
2. Mix all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 cup xylitol in bowl, whisk a bit and set aside. Set aside the Quinoa flour. In another bowl, mix the mashed bananas, yogurt and vanilla together.
3. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup Xylitol with the Omega spread for about 3-5 minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each.
4. Turn the mixer down to low and beat in the quinoa until just blended. Next mix in 1/3 of the banana mixture, then 1/2 the remaining flour, then 1/3 banana mixture, rest of the flour, then remaining banana mixture . After each addition, mix just until blended... do not over mix! The batter should still be a bit chunky.
5. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the walnuts.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 55 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out the loaf and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temp.

The bread will store just fine wrapped in plastic wrap and kept on counter for at least 3 days.

If you followed the mixing directions, I know you'll love this recipe that tastes as good as, and has the wonderful texture of any regular banana bread - but with much less fat, calories and lower glycemic index!

Enjoy!

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You Won't Miss the Turkey With This Savory Squash Pudding

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:00:27 -0800

Planning an almost meatless feast or vegetarian meal this Thanksgiving? If you were fretting about a main course that can compete with the bird as the star of the supper, you can stop worrying; I've found one for you!

I'm not sure if any entrée can ever be all things to all people, but this savory bread pudding is as close as it gets. It's wholesome, with kale, butternut squash, and shallots, yet at the same time hearty and satisfying. Want to impress herbivores and carnivores alike? Keep reading.

Healthy Recipe: Apple-Walnut Bread Pudding

FitSugar — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 04:00:00 -0800

When the weather turns cold, I love to bake. I don't necessarily think of dessert when I think of Runner's World, but this recipe I found in the running mag piqued my interest and I had to try it. I did substitute agave nectar for the sugar in the pudding, but I couldn't imagine a streusel topping without brown sugar. I also left out the optional booze and raisins (in my opinion raisins belong in trail mix, not baked goods).

My entire family liked this dessert, but I will tell you, it tasted healthy. It is not an indulgent dessert, but I ate a huge satisfying piece and still felt great afterward. Since the amount of sugar is low and the fiber is high, it is truly a remorseless dessert. I will be making it again, but not for a fancy dinner party.

To see the recipe, just read more.

Apple-Walnut Bread Pudding
Modified From Runner's World

Ingredients

4 cups whole-wheat bread, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
4 tablespoons agave nectar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
1 cup Egg Beaters (or 1 egg and 3 egg whites)
1 can evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup bourbon or brandy (optional)
2 1/2 tablespoon light margarine, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
plain nonfat yogurt for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 2-quart Pyrex casserole dish with nonstick spray and spread half of the bread cubes over the bottom.
Mix 3 tablespoons agave nectar with cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle two teaspoons of agave-spice mixture over bread in dish. Alternate layers of apple slices and raisins (if you're using them) with sprinklings of agave-spice mixture until all are used up. Arrange remaining bread cubes over apples.
Combine Egg Beaters, milk, water, remaining tablespoon agave nectar, and vanilla as well as bourbon (if you're using booze). Mix well, then pour over bread, moistening all the bread on top.
Cover dish with lid and cook in oven for 5 minutes. Then lower heat to 250 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
While pudding is baking, mix margarine, brown sugar and walnuts.
At end of baking time, remove pudding from oven and set oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle walnut and sugar mixture evenly over top of pudding and return it to the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes or until sugar/walnut glaze is browned and crusted - be careful not to burn it!
Serve with a dollop of yogurt and enjoy.

Serves 6 with generous portions.

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Do you have a healthy snack or recipe to share? Then share it in the Lite'n It Up - Healthy Recipe Group and I might just post it on FitSugar.