Things You’ll Need

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Gather all the ingredients - this is fun!

For fresh pumpkin, cut up pumpkin, discard stringy stuff and save seeds for later munching.

Bake pumpkin chunks at 350°F on a cookie sheet until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, you can also roast or boil pumpkin pieces until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

Preheat oven to 350°F Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a well-buttered 9×5x3 inch loaf pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted into middle comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Makes one loaf.

I doubled this recipe and added a bit more pumpkin then called for (since I had so much!) and it is wonderful - everyone loves it!!

Make 2 and give one away - or have  a party!

~Pam~

From Susan Wittig Albert’s All About Thyme Newsletter

There’s Nothing Nicer

flower pot …than hot herb bread, just out of the oven. To make your bread even more interesting, bake it in clay flowerpots, which produce that lovely crispy crust you never get from a metal baking pan. You can purchase culinary pots, or you can use regular four- to eight-inch flowerpots. Scrub well, or wash them in the dishwasher. To season, spray with cooking spray and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool and repeat the washing and seasoning process. If your pots have holes in the bottom, don’t worry—you can fill them with a wad of aluminum foil. And if you don’t have time to make this start-from-scratch bread, begin with a prepared bread dough and add the herbs. Good both ways!

Flowerpot Herb Bread
2 packages dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
1½ cups scalded milk, cooled
½ cup shortening, melted, cooled
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
6-7 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, sifted
½ teaspoon basil
¾ teaspoon thyme
¾ teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley

Soften yeast in warm water, with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Mix milk, shortening, and beaten eggs. Stir in the remaining sugar, salt, eggs, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until bubbly (about 1 hour). Stir well, and add herbs. Mix in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead on floured board until satiny and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and return to the warm place to rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Punch dough down, let rest for 10 minutes, and
divide into four-6 pieces (depending on the size of your pots). Place each piece in a pot, filling only half full. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until the dough has filled the pots (about 45-50 minutes). Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°. Bake small pots an additional 5-10 minutes, larger pots 15-30. Turn out of the pot, return to the oven for a few minutes, then cool on a rack.

Adapted from China Bayles’ Book of Days, entry for November 17. To read this e-letter on our website, click here: abouthyme.com/dayletters/071112.html  This newsletter is a publication of Susan Wittig Albert and it is provided free, via e-mail, to anyone, worldwide. ©2007 Susan Wittig Albert. Do not quote without specific permission. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues with appropriate credit to Susan Albert. This newsletter is designed, written, and edited by Susan Wittig Albert & Peggy Moody.

Peach Pudding Bread

Ingredients

a.. 1 can sweetened condensed milk
b.. 1/2 cup milk
c.. 1/2 cup butter or margarine
d.. 1 pinch cinnamon
e.. 1-1/2 cups baking mix
f.. 1 tsp. vanilla
g.. 1 can (15 oz. size) Peaches
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter, set aside. Drain peaches; reserve juice. Grease 13×9x2-inch pan, place drained peached in pan. Pour can of sweetened condensed milk over peaches. Combine baking mix, cinnamon, vanilla, milk and saved juice in a bowl. Pour over peaches and condensed milk. Add melted butter. Stir only THREE times. Bake 15 minutes and score; continue baking for a total of 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.