Pumpkin Spice Bread



1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour or barley flour (or white flour, but

this is flavorful enough to stand up well to a flour with flavor; on the

other hand, it'll be somewhat more pumpkin-colored if you use white flour)

2 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ginger

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3/8 tsp cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/3 c milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

6 Tbsp butter

1 cup dry sweetener (I used Rapadura dried cane juice, date sugar should

be good, or brown sugar)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup pumpkin (canned is fine)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1/3 cup chopped dates (or other dried fruit)



All ingredients at room temperature. Oven at 350F. Grease one regular (8

cup) or, preferably, two small loaf pans.

Whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Combine the milk and vanilla in a measuring cup.

Beat the butter till creamy in a large bowl. Gradually beat in the

sugar, on high speed till light, 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a

time. Mix in the pumpkin just till blended.

Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk in two

parts, till just mixed, don't overmix. Fold in the nuts and dried fruit.

Spread evenly in pan. Bake till a toothpick in center comes out with a

few crumbs, about 45 minutes in small pans, 60 minutes in large. Let

cool on a rack at least 10 minutes before turning out to finish cooling.



In the past, I've used 2/3 cup molasses instead of the sugar, and

decreased the milk. It's very good that way, but the molasses really

overwhelms the pumpkin, it ends up more like gingerbread; the texture

isn't quite as good either, denser and kinda wet.



Modified from Joy of Cooking







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