Day 211: Pumpkin Pepita Bread

It is great fun to discover new recipes only because some random ingredient was hanging around and needed using up!

Today, the target was pepitas, roasted pumpkin seeds. For situations like this, my favorite resources are:

• The reliable Epicurious despite its less-than-modern search capabilities
• The multi-ingredient useful FoodieView which could be still more useful were its feeds to include more than 2 or 3 food blogs

So after considering everything from fish crusts to pepita brittle, I settled on this quick bread.

It's a good way to use up pepitas -- today's were hulled from Trader Joe's but you can make your own, too, as Elise has here at Simply Recipes.

That said, I wouldn't buy pepitas special for making pumpkin bread and thus this recipe won't replace my long-time favorite, especially since the pepitas really add to the calorie count.

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VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES

~ more pumpkin recipes ~

PUMPKIN PEPITA BREAD
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Serves 16

1 1/2 cups pepitas
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or more all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (provides a small but very optional kick)
1 teaspoon salt (unless the pepitas are salted)

15 ounce can of pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar (reduced from 1/2 cup, this makes the bread a bit more savory than sweet)
1/4 cup brown sugar (ditto)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (next time, use softened unsalted butter)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (next time, try 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Roughly grind the pepitas in the food processor. Add the remaining dry ingredients (flour through salt) and give a swirl or two just to mix.

Add the pumpkin, sugars and oil (or better, butter) to a large bowl and mix until well combined with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute or two after each. Add the ginger. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, just combining (if you combine too much, the bread will end up with small holes in it) after each and beginning and ending with the flour mixture (Here's another way to put that: Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and just combine, add 1/4 cup of buttermilk and just combine, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and just combine, add the remaining buttermilk and just combine, add the remaining flour mixture and just combine but making sure there are no floury bits left.)

Transfer to a bread pan that's been well greased with butter or oil or cooking spray. Bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan onto a rack and finish cooling.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With 16 slices, 214 Cal (52% from Fat, 10% from Protein, 38% from Carb); 6 g Protein; 13 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 21 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 46 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 209 mg Sodium; 31 mg Cholesterol,, Weight Watchers 5 points

With 12 slices, 285 Cal (52% from Fat, 10% from Protein, 38% from Carb); 8 g Protein; 17 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 29 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 62 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 279 mg Sodium; 41 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 7 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Very adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2001