it’s pumpkininny!

Last week my roommate and I went on a fall excursion to Arata Pumpkin Farm and Bob’s Pumpkin Patch in Half Moon Bay. 

We rented a Zipcar and drove 50 minutes out of town, through the thick Pacifica fog to apprehend a few pumpkins to carve whilst sipping apple cider and watching Twin Peaks on Netflix.

It was a successful mission as we both arrived home, our arms tired and full of fall goodies.

I was most excited about this guy: my hand-selected hubbard pumpkin.

Its skin is greyish-green with pronounced ridges, its flesh bright canary yellow, and they can vary in shape from round and squat to tear drop-shaped. I was told along with the sugar pie pumpkin the hubbard was a good pumpkin to cook so I bought it. Then, I cooked the flesh, roasted the seeds, and turned most of it into pumpkin soup for dinner. But the tastiest thing I did with my hubbard was turn it into this dessert…

That is ginger pumpkin bread my friends! And even after I cooked all of that pumpkininny stuff, I still had more pumpkin meat leftover, which means I will be eating pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin, and pumpkin bread again very soon. But more importantly, as a fan of David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, cooking with pumpkin might forever remind me of Josh Fenderman and Freddie P Cheesewinkle’s pumpkin pizza…

Ginger Pumpkin Bread

makes two loaves

This recipe is a simple quick bread and can be served as dessert with a dollop of whipped cream or alongside a scoop of ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Pleasantly enough it’s also not overly sweet so it’s perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning, or just by itself as a snack. Who cares how you eat it, just eat it!

I N G R E D I E N T S

15 ounces cooked pumpkin (hubbard and sugar pie pumpkins recommended) you can use canned pumpkin puree here if your not feeling the DIY vibe of roasting your own

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger, about 2 inches of fresh ginger root

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon (6 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

D I R E C T I O N S 

If you are using fresh pumpkin, first you must cook the pumpkin flesh. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare the pumpkin by carefully cutting it into manageable sized chunks and remove its inner strings and seeds. Arrange the pieces of pumpkin on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cook the pumpkin until it is tender and pierces easily with a fork, rotating the baking sheet and flipping over each piece halfway, about 40-45 minutes.

While the pumpkin is cooking, prepare two loaf pans by brushing them generously with butter and dusting them lightly with flour. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

When the pumpkins have finished cooking, let them cool thoroughly before handling them. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F.

When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, remove the skin with a pairing knife. And while you peeling the pumpkin, peel the ginger root too. If you are having trouble using the pairing knife on the ginger, use a spoon or the back of the knife to scrape the skin off. 

Place the cooked pumpkin into a large bowl and add the freshly grated ginger root. 

Using a fork or a large potato masher, mash the ginger and the pumpkin flesh together until they are combined and no large pieces of pumpkin remain.

Whisk the sugars, eggs, and butter into the pumpkin mixture. Then fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the two prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Let the bread cool slightly before removing it from the loaf pans and slicing with a serrated knife. It’s pumpkininny!