Okay, so I have to admit that I was skeptical about this recipe at first. I loved the idea of a pumpkin cranberry yeast bread, but the P & Q board on the blog was discouraging. There was talk of this recipe not rising, being labor-intensive, and resulting in a mediocre final product. In consequence, I actually had to force myself to go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make this bread. So, you can only imagine my surprise when, upon tasting this bread, I decided that it was actually my favorite recipe from this book so far.
I have to say that my bread turned out absolutely perfectly. It is soft, moist, rich and slightly sweet. It is wonderful with a little salted butter spread on it and I think it would also make a delicious French Toast. I was initially concerned because I didn't have three small loaf pans, but it came together nicely in my 9 x 5 pan and gave me one golden loaf in about 40 minutes. After 35 minutes I removed it from the pan and let it bake on the wire rack in order to darken the sides and bottom.
The one criticism I agree with is that it tastes more like a raisin bread than a pumpkin bread. If I had not made the bread myself, and if not for the deep golden color of the bread, I am not certain that I would have been able to tell that there is squash in it. In fact, its flavor kind of reminds me of Easter Bread.
The one criticism I agree with is that it tastes more like a raisin bread than a pumpkin bread. If I had not made the bread myself, and if not for the deep golden color of the bread, I am not certain that I would have been able to tell that there is squash in it. In fact, its flavor kind of reminds me of Easter Bread.
As for the preparation time, this bread doesn't take a lot of work--most of the preparation time is passive. However, it does require you to be at home in order to work with the dough at the various time intervals, so it wouldn't be a baking project to start on a Monday night. It is much better saved for the weekend or for a snowy day spent indoors by the fire.
Please visit This Bountiful Backyard for the recipe.
Well, your favorite recipe turned out to be my least favorite one! It does look very moist and perfectly tall!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it turned out well! I didn't realized it needed an overnight rest, so I'll finish mine tonight.
ReplyDeletenice shot...
ReplyDeleteCarmen
I'm so happy you love it! I love it toasted with butter,
ReplyDeletebut so far, my favourite recipe from the book is still the whole wheat loaf.
I too was worried when I read the P&Q board but these are my all time favorite flavors and I trust this cookbook. It wasn't hard to make, I'm home most days so I had no problem working it into my schedule. We loved it. I like your idea of using it to make french toast. I think I will try it.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
I'm almost glad I didn't read the P&Qs because I probably wouldn't have made this either! Though it was time-intensive, I'm glad I gave it a try. Great loaf you have!
ReplyDeleteThe P's & Q's can be helpful and scary at times... But this bread ended up being a pleasant surprise, didn't it?
ReplyDeleteI also found this bread to be one of my favorites. It was wonderful and a huge hit in our family. Your bread looks perfect…glad to gave it a try!
ReplyDeleteThis is what I was thinking when reading the recipe - Easter bread :) Reading your post and how much you have enjoyed it makes me want to try the original recipe. Love the color of your loaf!
ReplyDeleteI agree, one of my faves!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun to be surprised?!! I think the pumpkin really only added color, not a lot of flavor -- we were all expecting a pumpkin flavor, but all in all I love this recipe! Blessings, Catherine www.praycookblog.com
ReplyDeleteI love your photograph! You got such a lovely color in your bread.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was discouraged at the outset of this recipe and pleasantly surprised. Glad to have made it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the flavours but yes, you couldnt tell there was pumpkin!! love the colour on yours!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the raisins and craberries were the standout flavours not the pumpkin. It was quite delicious though, and your bread looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteYour bread looks lovely! I enjoyed it a lot, though I was discouraged after reading the P&Q too. Good thing we made this or we would have missed out.
ReplyDeleteGlad this was a hit for you! I wish it had more of a pumpkin essence - though I loved the tart pop of the fresh cranberries.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you enjoyed making this bread as much as I did. It was definitely worth turning the oven on even though it was so hot.
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