Something New

So I've done cookies. A lot of cookies, even. But that's because I love cookies, they're so quick and easy and...transportable! And I've done cake. 'Cause, who doesn't love cake? But today was a day for something new. And that something was Pumpkin-Nut Bread from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. (Have I mentioned that I love pumpkin baked goods?) Here it is:

Makes: one 8-inch loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes plus 1 hour 10 minutes cooling time

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (unsweetened, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
1 cup dried cranberries (optional)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat an 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until frothy.

3. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the nuts and cranberries (if using). The batter will be very thick.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.

5. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

I chose not to add the cranberries because I'm not a cranberry fan. And, really, I'm happy that I did because I didn't find the pumpkin bread as sweet as other ones I've had (and loved) in the past, so adding cranberries would've cut that even more.

My pumpkin mixture didn't quite become "frothy," but it looked like it would start separating if I whisked it anymore. So I moved on to the folding part. Now, I'm not an expert at "folding" wet ingredients into dry, so I can't attest to how well this part was done, but the batter was certainly thick and I tried to make sure the walnuts were evenly distributed.

The only other issue I had was that the baking time wasn't enough. At 45 minutes, and even 55 minutes, the center of my bread was still batter. This is the second time something like this has happened, and the only common denominator I can think of is that both of my "messed up" recipes were baked in glass pans. This is the first time I've ever run into issues with baking in glass, so I'm going to attribute it to baking in a new oven (we recently moved). But after adding 17 minutes to the max of 55 minutes, my bread was ready to be pulled from the oven. And, thankfully, it wasn't burned in anyway.

So, all in all, this recipe worked out well and it tastes good. However, it has a slightly denser texture than I prefer and isn't as sweet as I'd like, so I'll keeping looking for and trying out new ones until I find what I'm looking for. I wish you great success in this and all recipes. Keep it up!