Operation Pumpkin Indoctrination

Like so many of you, I was a fan before it became cool and everybody was seeking it out.

What, you may ask, am I speaking of?

Skinny jeans?

No.

Ballet flats?

No.

Lady GaGa?  Cosmospolitans?

No and No.

Pumpkin?

Yes!

Before Starbucks made pumpkin cool to eat on days other than Thanksgiving and in items other than pumpkin pie by serving the pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin scone, pumpkin cream cheese muffin or pumpkin bread, I was obsessed.  I could have eaten just pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and been perfectly happy without the turkey or the other dishes.

The proliferation of pumpkin to the reaches of the coffee counter and bakery case at Starbucks and beyond has only fueled my obsession and made it easier for this pumpkin junkie to get her fix.

After discovering the first pumpkin scone of the season last week, I declared to my husband that all was right with the world.  I also found myself inspired to produce some pumpkin goodness in my own kitchen.  Plus, I wanted to give my son a chance to experience pumpkin without all the additives and preservatives of the store-bought pumpkin treats.

The weather in D.C. turned cool late last week and with the arrival of a crisp, feels-like-fall morning, I set out for the grocery store with my son, Davis.  Both of us had our hoodies on as we embraced the cooler temperatures and you could see he was as excited about the mild weather as I was.  Little did he know, he was about to experience the delights of pumpkin post-nap.  We picked up the ingredients for pumpkin bread and once home, Davis took a nap and Operation Pumpkin Indoctrination commenced in the kitchen.

The batter took about 15 minutes to put together while the oven preheated to 350 degrees.  I used fresh ginger this time, but you could easily use the powdered form found in the spice aisle.

Since the recipe made six mini-loafs and I had four pans, I used my mini-muffin/cupcake pan (as featured in my cupcake recipe from last month) to create some pumpkin mini-muffins that were perfect for a snack or for a special and easy to manage treat for Davis and his small hands.

If you have children at home or you simply can’t polish off a whole loaf of pumpkin bread before it has that not so fresh taste, I highly recommend purchasing a set of small loaf pans.  Not only are these perfect for a quick snack for a small family but I find that bread cooks more evenly in the smaller loaf pan.  Less chance for the middle of the bread that just won’t cook as I often encounter when using a standard loaf pan.

While the loaves of pumpkin bread took about 45-50 minutes to cook, the mini-muffins were done in approximately 18-20 minutes.

And, neither disappointed.  I froze a loaf of bread and sent the others to family.  I also froze half of the muffins and kept more out and we snacked on the muffins throughout the weekend.  I placed the muffins to be frozen in an air-tight plastic bag and for the loaves of bread, I took each out of the pan and wrapped it in plastic wrap and then foil before depositing in the freezer.

As the muffins and bread cooked, I took a moment and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in through the windows and the smell of pumpkin and fall filling our home.  To say it was delightful, is an understatement.

Upon waking from his nap, Davis’ pumpkin indoctrination began.  He grabbed a muffin from me, took a small bite and then proceeded to shove the rest in his mouth as he pointed toward the plate with the remaining muffins, asking for more.

With that, another pumpkin junkie was born and Operation Pumpkin Indoctrination was declared a success.

Mission accomplished.

Perfect pumpkin bread and pumpkin mini-muffins

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups canned pure pumpkin (about 24 ounces)

1 cup sugar

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger or the powdered ginger found in the spice aisle

3/4 cup buttermilk

Details

*Preheat oven to 350°F.

*Spray mini loaf pans and/or mini-muffin pans with nonstick spray.

*Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl; whisk to blend.

*Using electric mixer, beat pure pumpkin and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil, then eggs 1 at a time, then minced ginger. Stir in dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating between each.

*Pour batter into loaf pans or use a small scoop to deposit batter in mini-muffin pan.

Baking time

*Baking time for bread will be 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.

*Baking time for mini-muffins will be 18-20 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from Bon Apetit 2001, Miniature Pumpkin Breads