CHARLOTTE – Pumpkins have been used in cooking for centuries and date back to Native Americans; tribes would dry out the flesh of pumpkins and grind into a meal for cooking.  High in Vitamin A, pumpkin added nutrition and also was valued as a preserved fruit that was still useful long after the harvest season. With the popularity of this flavor in coffee drinks and holiday pies, it has become more prevalent than ever in recipes!  This is simple to make and creates a great treat with a cup of coffee or as a warm dessert! Enjoy~

Pumpkin Streusel Bread (yields 2 loaves)

Prep Time: 25 Minutes | On the Table: 90 minutes

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients:

2 cups AP Flour

½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Ground Cloves, Ground Cinnamon and Ground Nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1-1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar

½ Cup Light Brown Sugar

2 large Farm Eggs

1 15-oz can 100% Pure Pumpkin

Streusel Ingredients- (mix together)

½ cup Light Brown Sugar, ½ cup Granulated Sugar, ½ cup AP Flour, 1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt and Cinnamon, ¼ cup Chilled Butter- Chopped into Small Pieces

Method:

Preheat your oven to 325°F degrees. Generously grease two 8″x4″ loaf pans with butter and dust with flour.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sift the ingredients together, or use a whisk to blend.  Using an electric hand mixer, place the room temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar into a stainless steel bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Next, add the eggs, slowly, one at a time.  The mixture should be somewhat pearly, but not extremely smooth.  Add ½ the can of pumpkin and beat on medium-high for 1 minute, then add the remaining pumpkin and beat for an additional minute at the same speed.  Last, fold in your flour mixture at low speed- DO NOT OVERBEAT! Place the batter evenly into the loaf pans.

Combine all of your streusel ingredients together in a small bowl and work with your fingers until you have a pea size meal.  Lightly cover each of the loaf pans with this mixture.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the loaf starts to come away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick is clean from the center of the loaf.  Once finished, let stand out of the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf out of the pan and place on a cookie rack.

Share meals together, Food is Life, Food is Love!

Chef Glenn is a corporate chef based in Waxhaw- please send any feedback to  chefglenncolumnist@gmail.com