Just before we left for Israel for the holiday break, I was trying to use up most things in the kitchen. With this in mind and the arrival of a new cookbook, ‘At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen’ by Amy Chaplin, I was perusing through it the night before and was drawn to a recipe for pumpkin bread. It is an amazing book full of delicious recipes.
pumpkin bread with a toasted walnut cinnamon swirl
Recipe found ‘At Home in the Wholefood Kitchen’ with a few tiny variations. You can use any winter pumpkin, but the dense-fleshed ones like kabocha and red kur work the best because of their low water content.
Lately, I have been mixing the cinnamon walnut twirl straight into the batter so that it is incorporated throughout.
Makes one 12-inch loaf pan
cinnamon walnut swirl
1 cup/100g toasted walnut halves, chopped
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 Tbsp coconut or brown sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
pumpkin batter
½ medium kabocha pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut in ½-inch dices (about 3½ cups/440g)
2 cups/240g whole-spelt flour
2 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons olive oil (65g)
½ cup/140g maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 Tbsp vinegar
preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Lightly oil a loaf pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
make the cinnamon walnut swirl
2. Place the walnuts on a tray and toast for approximately 8 minutes. Allow to cool, roughly chop and place in a bowl, with the cinnamon, maple syrup, and sugar – mix to combine and set aside.
make the pumpkin batter
3. Steam the pumpkin for 10 minutes, or until soft – drain well, and cool.
4. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork – measure out 1½ cups and place in a medium bowl, add the oil, maple syrup, vanilla essence, and vinegar – whisk until smooth and set aside.
5. In another medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir to combine.
6. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin batter until just combined.
7. Spread half of the batter over the bottom of loaf pan. Layer the cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over batter and top with remaining batter.
8. To create a swirl, use a small rubber spatula or butter knife to zig-zag back and forth, finishing with one stroke through the centre. I like to sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and extra cinnamon and with roughly chopped pumpkin and sesame seeds.
9. Place in the oven and bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before turning out and place on a wire rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Goodness shared by Stacey
