GOLDEN HARVEST

5/12/2015
SATURDAY

Raisins Pumpkin Bread. 

The colours which I always associate with autumn season are gold, yellow, orange and red and pumpkin always come to mind (think of Halloween). In the market pumpkins of every sizes and colours are available and I just picked up a quarter of the pumpkin with no clear idea what to do with it yet.

And after a week in the fridge, it's time to use it and I noted that I have not made pumpkin bread before.   I saw a recent post about making these little "pumpkin bread" (please see Happy Home Baking blog for recipe) and decided to try them.

Straight method of making the bread dough. After kneading one portion, decided to make 2nd portion of the dough.   Its so relaxing to knead the dough by hand.   Set aside to  proof.  There were some leftover puree.  

I then recalled a pumpkin butter cake which I made before.  I added 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder to the flour and some pumpkin seeds to the batter.  Cream 200 gm butter and 200 gm (reduced to 175gm) caster sugar together till fluffy.  My stand mixer unfortunately gone "crazy" yes literally spinning like mad! It had served me well throughout these years and it needed the rest.  Then 5 eggs were added, one at a time well mixed in.  Sift in 300 gm flour and then add the rest of the ingredients   

More seeds to top the cake and bake at 180C for around 30 minutes. The texture is rather dense, but its moist and soft (due to extra pumpkin added) but cannot detect the cinnamon smell (wonder if the powder has expired its shelf life!)

I again use the Black Sesame paste as filling instead of pumpkin puree. I managed to get 10 buns - dough 46 gm each and paste about 25 gms each.  

Here come the fun part... have some cut twine ready- about 1 foot long and soak in some oil.

So you start to tie around the bun loosely (allow space for expansion). 

Go around the bun to get a 8 section 

Not perfect 8  and cover and leave for 2nd proof .

The 2nd portion of dough... just wanted a simple loaf this time.. 

the last remaining raisins which  have been soaked in rum, pumpkin seeds and knobs of butter. 

Roll up and cut into 2 to fit my loaf tin. 

Ha! the little pumpkin how you have grown and it's time to sun yourself in the oven-

Bake at 180C for around 20-25 minutes till golden brown.   

My golden harvest at last. 

Finally when work all done and home alone, its time to put up my feet and relax with a detoxifying bowl of greens... Hakka Lui cha.