Pumpkin Rum-Raisin Loaf

Pumpkin Rum-Raisin Loaf

Blue Heron Kitchen

For Mom

If you have leftover canned pumpkin that's staring at you, here's a great recipe that's perfect for these winter days when it's black outside at 4:30. While waiting for the sun, make some tea, coffee or hot chocolate and have a slice (or two) of this delicious spiced loaf that's loaded with spiked raisins. With or without alcohol, it’ll lift your spirits.

You might want to allow for some time to soak raisins. (Do this in the morning, or overnight, covering the bowl and leaving it on the counter.) If you haven't allotted soaking time, no worries .. it’ll work out.

For the oat flour: I made oat flour with regular oats in my Vitamix. You can use any “power blender” to make oat flour. Or: put the oats in your food processor, and although they won’t grind into flour, the result will be a more textured, but still excellent loaf.

Why oats? Th-oat you’d never ask. Oat flour has no gluten (that protein that holds stuff together, but when there’s too much, often produced by over-mixing, it can make pie crusts, muffins, cookies and cakes tough.) If you're rolling out a pie crust and it's resisting your effort to enlarge it by shrinking back, that's gluten! (You can 'relax' the gluten by returning the dough to the fridge and letting it rest.) You can't always 'fix' gluten's sinews. Especially when it comes to cakery. In this cake, the addition of oats softens the texture. But don't think you're off the hook. If you overmix, there's plenty of gluten in the wheat flour. Gluten isn't evil (for those with Celiac it is; and for those with sensitivity to it, it is). It's necessary to bind together baked goods. And it's what you want when you knead bread. 

If you don’t have oat flour or any of this equipment, (or you don’t feel like washing another container), add whole oats. Oats from Ireland, the U.K. or Scotland are great choices. Bob’s Red Mill is also a great resource for oats and...

Baking soda: Bob’s Red Mill baking soda is worth the $3.00 (don't gasp - it's a one pound bag.) I'm grateful to my son, who advised me how great this stuff is. When you open the bag, you can see the difference. It's far less processed.  Buy the stuff in the orange box for cleaning and use Bob’s for cooking.

Rum? I’ve used both dark, spiced rum, and clear, ‘white’ rum. Either will do. If you don’t have rum, use bourbon. Maker’s Mark is great to have in your liquor cabinet. It's great for bourbon pecan biscotti, and great for chocolate bourbon pecan pie. 

Theory: alcohol evaporates during the baking/cooking process. Reality: I don’t think it all goes away (I hope not.) If you don’t use alcohol, use water. Try adding a tsp. (or more) of rum extract to the raisin soak. If you’re omitting the alcohol, double the vanilla extract, or split it with rum extract.

Canned (plain) pumpkin is best. I buy the organic stuff. If you roast or steam your own, make sure it’s drained extremely well.

Your spices matter. New Year's (easy) resolution: If spices are more than a year old, replace them. Write the date on the new labels.  (When you open the new batch, compare their aromas. New=fresh and pungent. Old=dull and muted. If they're really old, they're pointless.  If you’re interested in a great spice-monger, try Penzey’s.

Of cloves: If you’re using freshly ground cloves, you may want to reduce the amount by about an 1/8^th to ¼ of a tsp. Until the oils of the cloves dissipate, the spice, freshly ground is “oily” and concentrated.

Truc: Opt for the larger bowl.

Another day home from work is another day closer to springing back to musical life. Until then, there’s always my Blue Heron Kitchen.

peace and love,

jane

Pumpkin Rum-Raisin Loaf

Ingredients:

1 c./5.5 oz./156 g. dark raisins (organic Thomson are great)

¼ c./4 fl. oz./118.29 ml. rum, (dark or light) or bourbon

¼ c./4. fl. oz./118.29 ml. water (room temperature)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (double if omitting alcohol or rum extract)

            or 1 tsp. vanilla + 1-2 tsp. rum extract, if omitting alcohol.

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 ¼ c./8.8 oz./250 g. granulated white sugar

1/3 c. vegetable oil

¾ tsp. ground cloves

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ c./200 g. unbleached white flour

¼ c./28 g. oat flour or oats (not quick cooking), ground, processed or “as is”

1 ½ tsp./6 g. baking powder (use aluminum-free)

½ tsp./2 g. baking soda

Turbinado sugar for top of loaf (optional)

Procedure:

When ready to bake: preheat oven to 350º F. and prepare two small or one large loaf pan by greasing with vegetable oil.

Soak raisins in rum or water. Do not drain.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together: flour, oats, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (Kitchen Aid or “other”) or by hand, in a large bowl, beat the eggs.

Add pumpkin and sugar and mix well.

Add oil and mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Dump in raisins and liquid that they were soaking in. Stir until combined.

Fill prepared loaf pan(s) to 2/3 full.

Sprinkle optional Turbinado sugar on top of loaf.

Bake in center of oven, until tester comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes. Do begin checking after 30 minutes (especially if you’re baking several smaller loaves.

Cool completely before serving. This loaf seasons and improves with age. Wrap well in plastic and then foil. Leave for a day (or two.)

The loaf keeps well in the fridge and freezes for a couple of months.