Pumpkin Cornbread

 

As usual, I had a little pumpkin leftover from the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie and no ideas what to do with it.  I was going to make some cornbread to go with a can of VanCamp's Pork and Beans.  (Yes, sometimes I skip cooking and open a tin.  Which got harder when my electric can opener died.)  For the heck of it, I ran a search for pumpkin cornbread.

I don't know why I'm still surprised when odd culinary searches produce a ton of results.  It especially makes sense with this, as pumpkin is one of those ingredients you can sub for either oil or egg in many baked goods.

The recipe I chose from Cooking Classy includes a topping of cinnamon honey butter.  It didn't go with the rest of my meal, but I'm putting it in here because it sounds like a really good idea.

Also, I made a half recipe in a loaf pan because that's how much pumpkin I had.  I also subbed fat-free yogurt for the sour cream, as is my personal habit.  Still posting it as sour cream, but letting you know there are options.

*1 C all purpose flour
*1 C cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C unsalted butter, melted
*1 C canned pumpkin purée (not pie mix)
1/2 C sour cream
*2 eggs

1.  Preheat oven to 375º and pan spray an 8"x8" casserole.  For the half recipe, I used a standard loaf pan.  Muffins are also an option; I'm guessing 12.  Hard to tell because modern muffin pans are larger than anything manufactured before 1990.

2.  Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the rest of the spices.  If you don't feel like getting out every spice in the pantry, 1-1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice will be an easy substitution.

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar, butter, pumpkin, sour cream, and eggs until smooth.

4.  Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the wet mixture into it.  Stir until just moist.  Do not over-mix.  You can even stir it halfway, walk away for a few minutes, and come back to give it one last stir.  You're avoiding making long gluten strands, which will result in large holes inside the bread.

5.  Pour batter into dish.  Smooth into the corners.  It will settle a little on its own, but might need some help.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test but the edges aren't too brown.  Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.  This isn't firm enough to turn out in one piece; it's best to remove slices at a time.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1/2 C salted butter, room temperature
1/3 C honey
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1.  Whip butter in stand mixer (or with a hand electric beater if 1/2 C is too small for the mixer).  Add honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.  Beat again until fluffy and smooth, 2-3 minutes.

2.  You can be really fancy and pipe the butter into dollops on a piece of wax paper and then refrigerate them to firm up before serving.  Or just set it in a butter dish.

Makes 12 servings.  An 8x8 is easier to cut into 9 servings.  I won't judge, and I'm not posting the calories.  You can check out the original blog for that.

Difficulty rating  π