Pumpkin Raisin Yeast Bread

This is another recipe that might fit into your Thanksgiving day. It would go nicely with the main meal, but I think it makes a better addition to breakfast, giving everyone something a little special to begin the day. You can make it ahead of time, and have it all sliced for toasting, so there’s no fuss on a morning when you might be really busy getting a turkey in the oven. This is a raised batter bread, which means no kneading, and that can be an additional plus if you have a lot to do to get ready for guests. I love holiday mornings like Thanksgiving and Christmas, where sharing a special breakfast gets mingled with the very early prepartions for an even more special meal later on. In a family of great cooks like mine, it can difficult to separate where the consumption of one meal ends and the prep for the next one begins.

We begin with some nice fresh local ingredients – pumpkin from my mother in law’s garden. It doesn’t get much more local than that since she lives next door. She didn’t plant any pumpkins this year, so it must have been a volunteer from seeds left behind or from the compost. I’m also using the same honey I mentioned here. To get started, heat
1 cup milk
to just under the boiling point. I used the microwave for this.
Then add
1/2 cup dark raisins
allow this to sit for about an hour to soften the raisins
In the bowl of your mixer measure
1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
Add the milk and raisins, along with
1 packet fast acting yeast
Mix well and add
2 cups bread flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix again and gradually add another
2 cups bread flour
Once all the flour is incorporated, mix on medium speed for another minute or so.
Note: This can made with a hand mixer, but unless you have a very powerful one, you will need to stir the final cup of flour in with a spoon. It will not be terribly difficult, as this is not a really stiff dough. Before I got my stand mixer I made batter breads like this by hand all the time. It just takes a few more minutes.
Leave the batter right in the bowl and allow to rise for about an hourThough I use a 10 cup bundt pan, this can be baked in any number of different pans. It is too much dough for a single standard [8" x 5"] sized loaf pan, but would fit nicely in 1 standard loaf pan plus two mini loaf pans, an angel food cake pan, 8 to 10 inch springform or whatever your imagination comes up with. Whatever pan you use, grease it very liberally, and with the bundt pan in particular, make sure you don’t miss any of the indentations, or you will have a difficult time getting this out later. Sprinkle the greased surface of the pan with raw sugar. Stir the dough down and use a couple of soup spoons to distribute the dough evenly all around the pan. Wet your fingers and smooth the top, using a bit of pressure to compress the dough and eliminate air pockets. Allow to rise in a warm place, until about doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees, for about 40 to 50 minutes for the bundt pan. Obviously smaller pans will take less time, but it will be very nicely browned across the top when it is done and should sound hollow when you tap it. Let it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then gently loosen it around the edges, and invert onto a cooling rackSlice and serve with butter, preserves or – my personal favorite – honey cinnamon butter: combine 1 stick of butter with a couple tablespoons of honey and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.It makes the best toast ever too.
Other recipes that might make a nice addition to your holiday meals:
Candied Ginger Pumpkin Cake
Sweet Potato Pecan Coffee Cake
Winter Squash Cinnamon Bread