Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Alliteration!

One of my favorite things, after alliteration (see what I did there?) is pumpkin bread. Back in the states, my go-to recipe was the Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread by Laurie Bennett. Here in Paraguay, however, the shelves are not stocked with cans of pumpkin puree, so I had to get inventive. Well, I just had to make my own pumpkin puree, which sounds daunting, but is actually quite easy. It just takes time. Making your own puree is kind of a no-brainer, but if you're doing it for the first time, it helps to have a good step-by-step guide with photos. My favorite is over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, one of my favorite blogs. I've only seen Ree Drummond's Food Network show once, but I read her blog all the time. Great recipes. I also relate to her life story as I, too, have been whisked away to the country and have a much closer relationship with cattle than I'd ever imagined. But I digress.

Having made my own pumpkin puree, I adapted the Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread recipe to suit the type of baking and eating that is generally preferred in my current household. Turned out great!

Pumpkin Bread/Torta de Calabaza:

2 cups homemade pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups sugar
4 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Beat the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and water together in a very large bowl. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour with the spices. Slowly beat this mixture into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined. Add into greased bread/cake pans (about three bread pans) and place in the oven at 350F/175C for about 45 minutes. When the knife/toothpick comes out clean, it's done!

If you want to make this a smaller recipe, it's pretty easy to cut in half.

Enjoy!

P.S. Kivevé is a traditional Paraguayan dish consisting largely of mashed pumpkin. Leftover Kivevé makes a great substitute for regular old pumpkin puree, and gives the bread more Paraguayan flair. If you do an online search for Kivevé you'll see a recipe that includes onions, which would not be yummy in a sweet bread. The version of Kivevé made in my household does not include any onions, oil, milk, or corn flour. It simply includes mashed pumpkins, sugar, salt, a little white flour, and fresh Paraguayan cheese. When using it to make my pumpkin bread, I simply remove the cheese, and voila! An excellent version of pumpkin puree to use in my pumpkin bread recipe. I will post an actual recipe for Kivevé (sans onions) later on.

Pumpkin bread made with leftover Kivevé.

Winter and Orange Bread

So, winter is a strange time here in Paraguay. This morning it's about 20 degrees Celsius, which equates to about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Normally, it's supposed to be rather cold this time of year. Since I've been here, it's gotten down into the low 40s (F), which feels pretty damn cold when the buildings aren't insulated and there's no central heating. Those types of things aren't worthwhile investments in a climate that isn't cold enough for long enough. Instead of the leafless, bug-less, frozen wonderland I'm used to, winter now means a time with variable temperatures, alternate heavy rain and breezy, sunshiny days, and a time of the year when trees flower, sugarcane is harvested, and citrus fruits come into season. We have lime, orange, mandarin orange, and pomelo trees in our backyard.

Lime is more of a garnish, but oranges are a main event. The folks I live with have the magical ability to eat several in one sitting. They carefully peel the rind away in a spiral pattern with a knife, then cut a small opening at the top and suck out the juice. Then the orange is opened and the flesh is consumed. As a stubborn American, I still plug away at peeling my orange with my fingers and eating the segments one by one. The oranges here are sweet. They are harvested while the rinds are still green. If you let them turn orange, the birds will get to them first, as they do with the mandarin oranges. Limes are referred to as limón here. The yellow kind we know as lemon is simply another variety of limón. There's also an orange variety, which you want to be careful not to mistake for a mandarin orange, or you're in for a bad time. You also want to be careful not to take down a naranja agria, or bitter/sour orange, which is grown for it's essence, not for consumption. As an American who is still learning to have a relationship with her food from its source, I am often confused by all the different types of citrus fruits hanging around the house. Luckily I'm surrounded by experts.

Orange bread, or torta de naranja, is a very popular sweet treat in my current household. While my boyfriend's mom has her beloved recipe, I, as the lazy baker that I am, came up with something quicker, simpler, and almost as delicious ;)

It's certainly strange to be enjoying a citrusy treat in winter, but then it's not all that winter-like to a Midwesterner, anyway. If you're looking for a warm, sweet, happy treat with a fresh, citrusy kick, this is the recipe for you. If you pass it along, I would appreciate getting credit for it. It's not particularly mind-blowing, but I came up with it myself! And I'm pretty pleased with myself :) Here we go:

Orange Bread (Torta de Naranja)

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
juice from two small to medium sized oranges
3 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
orange zest

Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, and oil. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix together the flour and spices. Slowly add the flour mixture into the larger bowl, alternating with the orange juice. Make sure you finish adding the flour mixture first so you can determine if all of your orange juice is necessary. The consistency of your batter is important: not too thick, but definitely not too runny. At the end, mix in a little orange zest to taste.

Grease a cake pan or a couple of bread tins, whatever strikes your fancy, and pour in the batter. Stick into the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes. Tops should turn golden brown. Knife should come out clean. Bake time will depend on the whims of your individual oven.

Enjoy!

Note: I wanted to add ground cloves, too, but was too lazy to grind up my whole cloves. If you try it, please let me know how it comes out! I'm guessing 1/4 teaspoon would be enough.

Is it bread or cake (torta)? Cakebread.