Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel Topping

I’m not a big fan of pumpkin, but last year I tasted a pumpkin doughnut for the first time, when we went pumpkin picking for Halloween…and I thought it was great!   I figured, I should try baking with it. Now, I’ve made Banana Bread (see my Honey Walnut Banana Bread Recipe) a number of times and it turns out so good. So I decided on making Pumpkin Bread…and it was just as good. It was sweet and moist, and the Pecan Streusel I topped the bread with, gave it a little crunchy texture which was perfect.

I did make the mistake of cutting the loaf while it was still quite warm, which as it turns out, is not such a good idea.It was hard to cut slices as it sort of fell apart and crumbled real easily. But, the temptation of a warm slice was too great for me to resist…I’m just not a very patient person. Once it cooled off though, it was easier to handle. I ended up using the crumbled broken slices to make a dessert for after dinner. I simply, squeezed some caramel sauce (the kind you get for ice-cream toppings) over the pumpkin bread pieces and topped it with a layer of whipped cream and drizzled some more caramel sauce over the top. It was divine! This is one recipe I will be making again and again and I’m sure you will too if you try it…

Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel Topping

Ingredients:
For the streusel-
1/4 cup Butter (softened)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Oatmeal
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Chopped Pecans

For the Pumpkin Bread-
1/2 cup Butter (softened)
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 cup Pumpkin Puree (not pie filling!)
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 cup Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/4 tsp Grated Nutmeg

Method:
– Start with the Streusel topping. Simply combine all the ingredients (butter, brown sugar, oatmeal, flour & chopped pecans) in a bowl together and mix it using a fork or a pastry cutter, until it’s all combined. Put the streusel topping in the fridge to chill while you make the pumpkin bread batter.
– Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Then mix together all the dry ingredients for the pumpkin bread in a bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, and freshly grated nutmeg) and set it aside.
– In a bowl of a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment/ or use a hand mixer, cream together the sugar and white sugar, until it turns white and creamy.
– Add the brown sugar and vanilla, beat the batter for a few minutes. Then add the eggs and mix together well, scrapping in the sides occasionally.
– Next add a heaping cup of pumpkin puree and turn the mixer on a slow speed to stir it in.
– With the mixer still going, spoon in roughly half the flour mix and pour in half the milk.
– Repeat with the remaining flour mix & milk. Beat until everything is well combined and the batter becomes smooth.
– Pour the pumpkin batter evenly into a loaf tin and top it with the streusel topping.
– Bake the pumpkin bread at 350F for about 70-75 minutes . Check if the bread is done by piercing a skewer/toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. Let the bread cool before cutting it… or it will break apart (because it’s such a moist bread.)
– Enjoy your pumpkin bread with some butter…or better still, some whipped cream & caramel sauce!yummm…

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