Pumpkin Bread

Well it seems to be officially the pumpkin time of year.  I absolutely love this time of year because I love everything pumpkin.  From the lattes to the pies to the jack-o-lanterns and everything in between.  One of my favorite ways to enjoy the pumpkin flavors of the season is a in a pumpkin quick bread.  Quick breads are some of my favorite baked goods.  Given their name because they don't use yeast and thus don't require time to rise they are closer to a cake or a muffin than a bread and oh-so delicious. And I couldn't help but photograph it with these cute towels my grandma sent me a few weeks ago.  Definitely the perfect touch :) 

While I love quick breads I am often floored when I read the recipes.  The quantity of oil and sugar in some of the recipes is practically lethal.  I would consider myself reckless in making these and serving them for breakfast in their current state.  But I didn't want this to limit by pumpkin bread consumption to dessert because it is perhaps the perfect breakfast with a cup of coffee.  So I set out to lighten up the recipe.

Previously I made a lightened up chocolate zucchini bread (recipe here).  Using applesauce in place of oil it was delicious.  I wanted to try something new with this recipe to try and keep the density of the bread similar to its oil laden ancestors.  I read in a magazine a few weeks ago that greek yogurt can often be an acceptable substitute to oil in baking so I thought I would test it out.  The results were delicious.  By no means would you guess this recipe was almost missing fat.  The bread was dense and delicious. I served it with a spiced whipped topping and chopped hazelnuts for more breakfasts than I want to admit to.   I also tested out some donut baking tins I received as a gift.  While my mouth was not fooled into believing these were fried delicious donuts it was a cute way to prepare them. Like little donut shaped muffins.  Neat.

 What is your favorite way to celebrate the delicious (and cute) pumpkin this time of year?  I am totally craving more pumpkin in my life... would love your suggestions :)

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Ingredients
yields 2 loaves or 24 mini donuts
1 1/4  cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 loaf pans.

2) Combine sugars, yogurt, oil, eggs, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl and stir til combined.

3) Add flour, spices, soda, salt, and powder and stir until just combined and only small lumps remain.

4) Pour into loaf pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake test inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bread Whipped Topping Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup whipped cream or whipped topping
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 t. cinnamon + 1 pinch nutmeg)
pinch salt
2 T. chopped nuts for topping (optional)

Directions
1) Mix the whipped topping, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together and place on top of warm bread, sprinkle with chopped nuts. Waaaay better than butter! :)

Love quick breads?  Check out some of these other delicious quick bread recipes.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread

I made these "donuts" for friends and had a lot of requests for the pan.  Here is the pan that makes these fun treats if you're interested in turning your quick breads into little, baked, donuts instead :)

Popovers

This post is a special favor to one of my favorite readers.  She asked me to make her chocolate, cherry popovers.  After spending a boring afternoon at work browsing pinterest she had the idea to make chocolate, cherry popover but search after search after search lead her to... no recipes!  What is worse than that!?  So she asked me to make them and post a recipe so she would never be in that spot again.  And thus... chocolate cherry popovers.

You can make these without the chocolate and cherry if you want.  Substitute cinnamon and sugar and pecans or maybe some fresh raspberries and whipped cream... even just plain with powdered sugar is a fantastic breakfast or at the very least a breakfast side dish.

Popovers should be eaten warm right from the oven. Timing is important when you're serving these so be sure you have your other dishes on a schedule that will allow these to be served straight from the oven.

If you're like my friend and love pinterest and delicious food then follow me on pinterest so see all my recipes and posts! :)  Follow Me.

Chocolate Cherry Popover Recipe

Ingredients
yields 12 popovers
1 cup flour
1/4 t. salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 T. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. almond extract
2/3 cup cherry preserves
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1) Place an empty muffin tin in the oven and set to preheat to 450 degrees.  Do not spray the muffin tin.

2) In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the butter** and milk.  Whisk in both eggs and the almond extract.
**Be sure the butter has been allowed to cool to room temperature or else it will seize up in the milk.  If it does seize then heat the butter and milk mixture in a sauce pan over low heat until the butter melts again and allow the milk to cool to room temperature before adding the eggs.

3) Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl with the liquid ingredients until just blended, a few lumps are okay.

4) Remove the hot pan from the oven and quickly spray the interior of each cup as well as the top rim of the pan with cooking spray.  Distribute the batter evenly into each of the 12 cups filling each one up about 1/2 way with batter.

5) Bake the popovers in the 450 degree oven for 30 minutes *without opening the door*.  Seriously, leave it closed.  I know you want to peak but don't.  Turn on the light if you must but don't open that door!  The popovers "pop" due to steam in the batter and opening the door helps that steam to escape.

6) Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and continue to bake for an addition 12-15 minutes or until the popovers become a golden brown color on the outside.

7) Quickly slice the popovers in half and fill the hole in the middle with the cherry preserves and drizzle with melted chocolate.  The perfect brunch dessert! :)

Waffles

Here comes the weekend!  It certainly couldn't come soon enough for me.  With me traveling last week and last weekend and Nick gone this week it will be great to have us each home and in the same room for a while.  I plan on celebrating by making a delicious breakfast!  Everyone loves good old fashioned breakfast food.  So I thought I would try out waffles.

As a kid a big breakfast was always how we rang in the weekend.  Whether it was mom's cinnamon rolls or dad's breakfast on the grill there was nothing better to wake up to than the smells in our kitchen.  We loved breakfast foods.  Some nights, usually when mom had to work late, we would have breakfast for dinner.  I still remember my dad's amazing pancakes topped with cherry pie filling!  Maybe those will be next ;)

While I usually shy away from recipes that require special tools (not everyone has a waffle iron after all!), I thought I would make an exception for these fluffy, chewy, crispy, sweet waffles.  If you don't have a waffle iron you can make them in a hot pan like pancakes!

Fluffy Waffle Recipe

Ingredients

yield 4-6 medium waffles depending on waffle iron size

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking soda

1/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

3/4 c. milk

2 T. melted butter

Directions

1) Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.  Beat the egg whites on high until they reach soft peaks (see picture). You'll know they're ready when you get the "Dairy Queen Curl".

2) In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar.  Add the egg yolks, milk, and melted butter and stir to combine.  A few lumps are okay.

3) Fold in the egg whites, carefully.  You don't want to over mix and deflate the whites.  Gently fold it in and after it is combined *stop* stirring.  Even though you want to keep stirring!

4) Heat the waffle iron and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

5) Spread the amount of batter recommended by the waffle iron manufacturer (for me this was 1/3 cup) on to the waffle iron and cook 2-5 minutes or until golden brown.  Server warm with butter and syrup.  Try my raspberry syrup below for something a little different!

Raspberry Maple Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/4 c. raspberry preserves

1 T. fresh squeezed orange juice

1 t. orange zest

Directions

Whisk all together until combined and serve!

Eclairs

Well to go along with the theme I have taken up lately I will continue with the pastry posts.  I assure you I do, upon occasion, eat meals, vegetables, fruits, and the like.  Usually this is only because I have run out of pastry, however.  Oh well - life is meant to be enjoyed!  These eclairs are actually something I made while in Florida visiting Nick's parents.  It just took me a while to get the post all ready.  I hope you don't mind the tardiness :)  Trust me, it will be worth the wait.  These were just perfect.  The filling was a perfectly sweetened rich and gooey vanilla cream, the chocolate topping was as delicious as it was shiny, and the pastry was crisp and buttery.  Seriously, I didn't know I could love eclairs so much until I had these!

These are technically salambos which are mini eclairs. I like to think of them as fun size.  Have a two or three... or ten!  Bite size is way more fun and you don't end up with pastry cream all over your fingers.  I did find out though that when you make things miniature boys eat them up rather quickly.  Nick and his cousins ate these the way a normal person would eat popcorn.  They popped one after the other in their mouths so quick they couldn't possibly have had time to chew!  I suppose that is how you know you are appreciated as a chef... when the serving plate is empty.

These are not terribly difficult to make and they are so appreciated as a breakfast or mid-afternoon treat.  You seem super fancy without having to work super hard which is my favorite way to be.  These little treats are just the right amount of sweetness and go perfectly with a morning coffee and an afternoon espresso.  The chocolate stays soft and a little sticky - just enough for good finger licking :)

To make eclairs you will first need to make a full batch of pâte à choux.  Instead of piping it into small circles the way you would for cream puffs you instead pipe it into a long strip.  Mine were about as long and wide as my thumb.  You bake the choux just as you normally would and allow it to cool.  After the choux is cool cut off the tops, fill with pastry cream, and dip each top in a bit of chocolate sauce and there you have it - most delicious breakfast ever.  Just be careful to set one aside for yourself before leaving them unattended in a room - there may be none left when you get back!

Ingredients
Makes about 24 mini eclairs

1 finished batch, cooled to room temperature, Pâte à Choux
**Instead of piping them into small circles you will pipe them into oval shapes about the length and width of your thumb.  Egg wash and bake as directed.
1 batch Pastry Cream (Recipe below)
1 batch Chocolate Sauce (Recipe below)


Directions
1) After you have completed the choux, pastry cream, and chocolate sauce you will assemble the salambo by carefully slicing each pastry length wise and removing the top.  Fill the center with pastry cream and dip the top into the chocolate sauce before placing back on top of the pastry.

Pastry Cream Recipe

2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
2 t. vanilla extract

Directions

1) Heat the milk and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a sauce pan over medium high heat.

2) Whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until the egg yolks become pale in color (see picture above).  Slowly add in cornstarch 1 T. at a time while whisking.

3) Temper the egg yolk mixture to keep your eggs from scrambling.  This is done by slowly pouring 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking.  This brings up the temperature of the yolks so they can be added to the milk mixture.  Continue whisking and add an additional 1/4 cup of the hot milk.

4) Pour the egg yolk mixture into the sauce pan with the remaining milk and whisk continuously over medium heat until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble.  It should become the texture of pudding.  Add in the vanilla and salt, stir, and remove from heat.

5) Pass through a fine mesh strainer or sieve into a glass or plastic bowl and cover with plastic wrap  (the plastic wrap should lay directly on the top of the pastry cream to avoid forming a skin - you can spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray to avoid sticking) and refrigerate at least 2 hours but up to 7 days.

Chocolate Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Sauce
1) To make the chocolate sauce heat the cream and chocolate chips over barely simmering water stirring as necessary.  Alternatively you can melt them together in the microwave at a medium setting stirring after each 30 second increment until fully melted

Hope you enjoy them!