Thanksgiving Eve and Cider Pumpkin Bread

Twas the night before... oh wait, that's the wrong holiday. It's 10:30 pm and I have already made my pie crusts. Four of them. I had to turn on the ceiling fan by the time I was on the third one because I was sweating from patting out that dough while standing next to a 450 degree oven. Slaving over a hot stove is about right!

The crusts are pre-baked and cooled, ready for the various fillings in the morning. My sweet potatoes are cooked and the Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce I made for the pecan pie is done and everything is in the fridge ready for finishing before we head over to my parent's house tomorrow.

The last thing I'm doing tonight is trying a new recipe I found while browsing the Food Network website. So far, I haven't been able to get links to post here, but if you search the recipe title on their site you will find it. It was submitted by a viewer and not one of the Food Network chefs, so the "FN chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results." Fine. Good thing they have me to do their work for them. Anyway, judging by how yummy the batter tasted, this one will be a keeper! I didn't have time to deal with photos tonight, but I'll post the recipe anyway.

Cider Pumpkin Bread

2 cups brown sugar (I won't say "packed", because when was the last time you ever saw a recipe where you don't pack the brown sugar?)

2 cups pumpkin puree (1 can)

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup apple cider

4 1/2 cups flour

2 Tablespoons baking powder (No, this isn't a typo, it really says 2 tablespoons)

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins (If you don't like raisins, leave them out... I did.)

1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and cider. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix until moistened. Add raisins if you like them, and walnuts, and mix thoroughly. Divide the batter into 2 portions and pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Just to be different, I sprinkled some sugar on top of the batter. Place in oven (Really? Did they think we wouldn't know to do that?) and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pans on rack until room temperature. Remove from pans and serve.

My loaf pans are these ginormous 10 inch things, so my quick breads usually turn out wide but not very high. This time I am experimenting with some of those little disposable foil loaf pans. These measure about 5 x 3-ish inches, and come in a package of 5 for $1.50 at Walmart. This recipe filled 7 of them. Since the pans are small, I cut the time down to 40 minutes - just guessing here. I just took a quick peek, and with 8 minutes of baking time left, they look beautiful! I will take a picture when they are done and post it later after the holiday craziness is over.

In the meantime, I want to wish everyone a blessed Thanksgiving holiday. I know that I have so much to be thankful for today. More than you know.

Okay, the timer just went off. *runs into kitchen* I cannot wait to show you these loaves. They are gorgeous, 40 minutes was perfect. I did the "insert toothpick" test and it was perfectly clean. The sugar on top makes them look nice and sparkly, which is really cool if you like sparkly things. Hopefully they will cool quickly so I can wrap them up so I can go to bed. It's been a very long day!

Coming soon... Pecan Pie with Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce (courtesy of Pioneer Woman), and Toll House Pie (courtesy of my good friend Mary Beth.)

Update 11/26 Everyone was laughing at me yesterday because I made them wait until I got my pictures of the food before they could eat. The pumpkin bread is delicious! It's very moist, and the sugar on top adds a nice, subtle crunchy sweetness. This will be my go-to recipe for the future.

Here is the batter all ready for the oven:



One of the finished loaves:



A couple of slices: I love the pretty pumpkin color of this bread. I had it for breakfast this morning.

Pumpkin Pie... Round 2 & Pastry Flour

Okay, true confession time. When I was typing the recipe in my last post I realized that I had misread the ingredients for the pie filling. Instead of 3/4 cup brown sugar, I thought it said 1/4 cup. Blame it on the bifocals. Yeah, that works for me. That, along with the fact that I had completely forgotten to try my new pastry flour, is the reason why I decided to make another pie. The one with not enough brown sugar looked pretty, but it did not really taste very good. If I had tasted the filling I would have noticed it wasn't right. I don't know why I didn't, I usually am all over tasting stuff. Needless to say we each tried a piece and the rest ended up in the trash. If I had a nickel for every time I had to throw something in the trash because I screwed it up, well, I would definitely be able to quit my day job. So... here we go again!

Here's the scoop on the pastry flour. Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Grain Pasty Flour. I found it at Whole Foods. See there in the background how I already have my oven preheated to 450 like a good girl? Yep, I'm doing it right this time.



This is a whole grain flour made from spring wheat, which is softer and has less gluten than the hard winter wheat used to make all-purpose flour. It is supposed to be better for pastries and cakes because of it's lighter texture. I like that it's whole grain. I admit I don't really care about it being organic, but I know that is important to some people so I consider it a plus. My favorite thing is that it's made from wheat grown in Colorado. I love anything to do with Colorado.

I can tell the difference in the color of the dough with this flour.



When I partially baked the crust, I noticed the edges had already started to brown. I usually use one of those pie shields to keep the crust from over-baking, but since this filling recipe fills even a deep dish pie pan almost to the top, a pie shield would leave it's mark in the finished pie. That will never do, because it has to look pretty. The good thing is that the crust didn't puff up during the pre-baking process. I'm much happier when I don't have to do an intervention with my food.



I made the same pumpkin-eggnog filling as before, only this time I made sure I did it right and tasted it. Yum. I also am 2 for 2 on getting it into the oven without spilling. Yay me... yeah right. Guess who forgot to reset the oven timer after she turned the heat down to 300? I guess I really did need to practice before turkey day after all. All is well though, with a little babysitting it all turned out just fine.

This pie is much prettier than the other one.



All dressed up and ready for tasting.



The filling on this one is wonderful, with just the right amount of sweetness and spice. The crust... well, let's just say I am disappointed. It looks good and is flaky enough, but I think the whole grain makes it more coarse rather than that nice delicate flakiness you expect in a good pie crust. I also think the whole wheat flavor is too strong. The crust should complement the filling, not compete with it. If you use a lot of whole grain products you might like this, but I'm really glad I tested this now before I crank out all my Thanksgiving pies next week.

If anyone out there wants to borrow a cup or two of pastry flour... call me.

Pumpkin Pie

Is anybody else staring into space with your mouth hanging open in shocked disbelief that Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow? That means the next time I blink my eyes it will be here, so I had better start thinking about getting ready. My job is always pies, so today I am doing a dry run of my pumpkin pie. Nah.. I really don't need practice, I just can't wait another week to eat pumpkin pie. Of course I'm mad now, because I found "pastry flour" at Whole Foods last week and wanted to try it, but just now realized that I completely forgot about it. Oh well, I had King Arthur flour in my cannister and that always works just fine.

I have several different pie crust recipes, and I'm always looking for the perfect one. Today I pushed the "easy" button and made the Pat-A-Pan Pie Crust from one of my favorite books, The Amish Cook's Baking Book. This is a great crust if you are teaching your kids to cook because you make it right in the pan, and you get to put your hands in it, but it doesn't terrorize your kitchen by leaving a huge mess. It's flaky and crispy, and super easy. It only works for a single crust pie though, you can't double it and it's too tender to roll out or transfer to another pan. For single crust pies and/or if you're in a hurry it's perfect.

Pat-A-Pan Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons cold milk

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a 9-inch pie pan and mix with your fingers until evenly blended. Mixing anything with your hand is fun, so do it. In a measuring cup (use a 2-cup one for this) mix the oil and milk with a whisk until it looks creamy.



Pour oil/milk mixture over the flour mixture and mix with a fork until is completely moistened.



Now pat the dough with your fingers until it is even on the bottom and all the way up the sides. The book says now to flute the edges, but I don't think this crust really works very well for that because it's not a real firm dough, in fact it will feel a bit oily when you have your hands in it. I'm using an old vintage deep dish pie pan which I love because all I have to do is press the dough into the already fluted edges, and it's good to go.



Now you can either prebake the crust if you need to, or partially bake it. I always partially bake my crusts when I'm making a single-crust pie, I think they just turn out more flaky on the bottom, and I hate a doughy bottom crust. To partially bake your crust, heat the oven to 450. Prick the crust all over with a fork, then place a sheet of heavy-duty foil in the pan and press it down against the crust inside the pan so it covers the entire crust. Bake it for 6 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 4 minute. Set it aside to cool while you prepare your filling. Keep a close eye on this, if it starts to puff up just poke it more with that fork.

Now for the filling. I use the Pumpkin Pie recipe from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham. No, she is not Richie's mom. This book has been my "baking bible" for years, but I am guilty of going rogue for this one because I substitute eggnog for the evaporated milk. Even if you don't like eggnog don't be afraid to try this. You can't really taste the eggnog, but it gives it a nice but subtle extra layer of flavor and creaminess that you can't beat. Don't even bother with the recipe on the back of the Libby's can, it's nowhere near as good as the woman who is not Richie's mom's recipe. Trust me on this, you won't be sorry.

Pumpkin Pie

1 partially baked pie shell
2 cups pumpkin puree, either cooked fresh (I have no idea how to do this) or canned. (I use 1 can of Libby's, be sure you get straight pumpkin and NOT pie filling.)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or heavy cream (or eggnog)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice

(or use 3 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of the individual spices)

Heat oven to 450. In large bowl, beat together the pumpkin and eggs. Add the milk/cream/eggnog and sugar, then the salt and spices. Beat until smooth. Pour into the cooled pie shell and bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is almost set. A sharp knife inserted just off center will come out clean, with traces of custard on it. The center should not be completely firm. In my oven, 35 minutes was a little bit too long, so start at 30 minutes and then you can always leave it in a little longer if needed.



Even with this deep dish pie pan, the filling really fills it up. I baked this on a foil lined pan in case I spilled it because it's hard to get it in the oven without spilling. I did good this time, no spills! You would never know I could get anything in my oven without spilling, as evidenced by the number of crusty burned spots that reside on the bottom of my oven.

Finished pie:



Pumpkin pie is never complete without a healthy dollop of whipped cream. I love the "extra creamy" Cool Whip, and my brother's family swears by the canned Reddi Whip, which is actually real whipped cream. The best ever though, is the homemade whipped cream that my grandma used to make. There's no right or wrong, just whatever you like and have time for. I remember one holiday gathering when I was a kid, my Aunt Margie literally buried my slice of pie under a small mountain of that sweet, creamy goodness. She said it was because I needed to put some meat on my bones. Well, thanks Aunt Margie, it worked...