What to add to Pumpkin Spice Bread
 

My girlfriend absolutely loves pumpkin spice bread, but when I made some for her... it seemed like it was missing something. Now don't get me wrong, it tasted good, but I thought there was room for improvement, and so did she.

What would you add? How would you make it into a desert? Family secrets?

-BD

Maybe you should post the recipe you used? That might give a bit more help. This is a recipe for regular pumpkin bread from Alton Brown, who has never, ever steered me wrong. Many spiced recipes also call for nutmeg, ginger and/or cloves. Remember that the level or freshness in spices and the type of vanilla you use will drasticaly alter the finished product.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

I make pumpkin spice bread as soon as the leaves start to change... I love the smell of it-- it also makes an awesome bread pudding....


Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients
1 15 oz canned pumpkin
1/2 c skim milk
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 egg whites, whipped
1/3 c fat-free sour cream

Spices
2 -3 tsps cinamin
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl, add spices.
Mix wet ingredients in medium bowl
Combine wet and dry ingredients until just moistened
Pour batter into pan sprayed with cooking spray Bake 60 minutes, or until done (Spaghetti strand comes out clean).

(This recipe has been doctored over the years, I like a 3 - 1 ratio of cinamin to nutmeg ratio, if I want a little more kick to it, I will add more ginger -- that seems to really spice it up)

I've also done it with Pumpkin Pie Spice (McCormacks makes it, but I thought it made it taste really bland)

Those recipies sound great. What I used was just an out-of-the-box quick bread mix. Ya know... 'add two eggs, oil, and water. Then mix and bake.'

I love to cook, so i'm going to give both of those a shot!

-BD

Well there's your problem. At a minimum, use cans of spiced pumpkin if you are too lazy (as I am) to shred fresh pumpkin