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Bewitching Breads: Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Source of Recipe

A Feast of Fruits


List of Ingredients

1/2 cup raisins -- currants, or dried cranberries
3 cups dark brown sugar -- firmly packed
1 cup unsalted butter -- softened
4 large eggs -- lightly beaten
2 cups pumpkin puree -- canned (1 pound)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg -- fresh
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup broken pecans or walnuts -- lightly toasted


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour boiling water over the raisins to cover and let them steep to plump up. Grease two loaf pans, each 9 x 5 x 3 inches; dust the sides with flour and shake out the excess.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Stir the eggs and pumpkin puree into the butter mixture. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir them into the pumpkin mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Drain the raisins well and stir them into the batter with the nuts. Pour the batter into the two loaf pans and bake until the bread tests done, about 1 hour. Cool the leaves for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on a rack.
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NOTES : This spicy, moist pumpkin bread....almost a pumpkin gingerbread....is delicious with sweet butter or cream cheese for breakfast or tea. Or bake the batter in muffin tins filled two-thirds full for about 25 minutes. Wrapped in foil, the bread keeps well in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for several months.