In my house, making pumpkin bread is a fall thing and this fall is no different. Well, that’s not entirely true. This year one of my dear friends is gone and our hearts are heavy for the loss of his friendship. As I spooned the spices into this batter, I thought of him and, along with dropping a few tears, I chuckled. He had a keen sense of smell – uncanny, really – and he could pick up the scent of cloves from a mile away and, for him, it wasn’t a good scent. Nope, not at all. From what I remember, his clove aversion came from a childhood culinary disaster. I think he chomped down on a piece of baked ham with a whole clove still stuck in place – or something awful like that. Even decades later, he could pick up its scent before I had my pie, bread or muffins out of my car. He’d say “Cloves. Why did you ruin this beautiful dessert by putting cloves in it.”
On top of being a friend to many as well as a husband and father, he was one of my chief taste-tasters. I valued his opinion probably more than he knew. When it came to tastings, I counted on his palate – he had super human tastebuds – and his curiosity as well as his honesty. I will miss our in depth discussions about my baking. He was passionate about all aspects of food and he loved to talk about every dish .. so much so that we gave him a hard time about it. He was a great cook and loved to eat- as long as it didn’t have any hint of cloves.
In his honor, the cloves in this recipe are optional. Here’s a link to his favorite spice shop – Penzey’s – in case you need to stock up on fresh spices before the holidays.
Abby
Streusel Topped Ginger Pumpkin Bread
Serves 10 to 12.
For the streusel:
1/2 cup (2 1/4 oz./ g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (2 3/8 oz./ g) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of table salt
3 Tbs. (1 1/2 oz./ g) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (1 3/8 oz./ g) chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
For the bread:
2 cups (9 oz./ 255 g) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz./ 149 g) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves, optional
1 cup (9 oz./ 255 g) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (4 1/4 oz./ 120 g) neutral oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 Tbs. brandy or 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup (3 oz./ 85 g) chopped crystallized ginger, optional
Make the streusel:
Put the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl and mix with a fork until well blended. Add the butter and nuts, if using, and mix until well blended; the mixture should be crumbly. Scrape onto a plate, breaking up any large crumbles. Freeze the topping while you make the bread.
Make the bread:
- Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of an8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-3/4-inch loaf pan (I use Pyrex).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves, if using, until well blended. Put the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and brandy in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients along with the crystallized ginger, if using. Using a rubber spatula, fold until just blended. Scrape into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Crumble the streusel and scatter evenly over the top of the batter. Bake until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes.
- Set the pan on a rack and let cool for about 15 to 20 minutes. Run a knife between the bread and the pan to loosen the bread. Invert onto a rack and lift off the pan. Arrange the bread right side up, scoop up any streusel and pop back on top of the bread and let cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and stow at room temperature for up to 5 days.
