Pumpkin Ginger Loaf

by Katy Matias

Pumpkin Ginger Loaf

Katy Matias

This seasonal quick bread, full of warming spice and bursts of bright, festive cranberries, is good at any time, day or night. It could be called “healthy” enough to pass as breakfast, packed with vegetables (winter squash) and whole wheat flour. But a slice for dessert with a cup of tea is equally enjoyable.

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Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1½ cups (or 1 15-ounce can) pumpkin or winter squash purée
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
¼ cup orange juice
1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Prepare 9×5-inch loaf pan by coating it with a generous layer of oil, butter or cooking spray, topped with a strip of parchment paper with the edges overhanging slightly.
In a small bowl combine the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
In a medium mixing bowl stir together the pumpkin purée, sugar and ginger until well combined. Add the leavening and spice mixture and mix well.
Add the eggs to the pumpkin mixture, one at a time, to incorporate thoroughly. Then add the oil and orange juice and mix well.
Sprinkle the pastry flour gradually into the batter, gently folding to avoid clumps until fully combined.
Pour ½ the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then sprinkle in ½ the cranberries, followed by the remainder of the batter and then top with the remainder of the cranberries.
Bake for 40–55 minutes. When done, remove loaf from the oven and immediately transfer to cool on a wire baking rack (this is where the generous greasing and parchment paper are key).

Notes

Tips & Tricks

The oven temperature is low for a reason. This batter is pretty thick so you want to be sure you are baking it through. And the higher protein content in the whole wheat flour is denser, so baking low and slow is the best way to avoid a thick crust on the outside of the loaf.

You can use canned pumpkin purée or any cooked winter squash like butternut, buttercup or kabocha, all of which add a deeper flavor. It’s a great way to use locally grown ingredients. You can even use sweet potatoes. But if you use a squash or potato that is especially sweet, lower the amount of sugar a bit in the recipe. If the cooked squash seems to contain a lot of moisture, set the flesh in a strainer for an hour to drain the extra liquid. You want a thick purée for this recipe.

Using fresh ginger is definitely recommended. We like to peel and then blend the ginger into a paste with a tiny bit of water or with the orange juice to help during the mixing process. But you can grate the ginger using a microplane as well.

Stick a toothpick into the middle of the loaf around the 30 minute mark and if it comes out clean, then the loaf is fully baked. If the toothpick has batter residue on it when you pull it out, then continue to bake at 10 minute increments to avoid drying the loaf during the baking process.

Fresh cranberries give the loaf an extra balance of sweet and tart.

Once baked, immediately remove the loaf from the pan to avoid extra cooking and moisture at the bottom of the pan. This is where using parchment paper is ideal, so you can just lift it out by grabbing the overhanging excess paper. Letting it cool on a wire rack is best, to let air flow in all directions.

Let loaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing, to avoid breakage.

Keyword baked goods, bread, ginger, pumpkin