Pumpkin Gingerbread {Foodie Friday}

Sometimes you need to take a risk. Not a big risk, just one that gets you out of your comfort zone a little bit. That's what happened with this delight. I have never had gingerbread before, not even the cookies! The closest thing I have ever had to gingerbread were some ginger snaps that DH got me when I was pregnant with Caroline and SOO sick. And let me tell you, they were terrible. So when I saw a post in my blog roll for pumpkin gingerbread, and I thought, "Hey that could be good!" And since I had all of the ingredients on hand, I decided to give it a go.

Just because Christmas is technically over doesn't mean that we can't still enjoy the remants of pumpkin or gingerbread. Honestly, there's not much to look forward to during the harrowing winter months, so why not put your oven to good use and whip up something yummy.

It wasn't hard to make by any stretch of the imagination, but the flavor may very well knock your socks off. This bread is really manly, if there is such a thing. It's got quite a kick. I am quite the fan of sweet bread, and this isn't one at all and I still loved it. This makes a lot, but I couldn't eat more than a couple pieces at a time. I recommend making this for a party or sharing with co-workers (I do this a lot) and friends.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup (1 stick)  butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 Tbsp finely minced candied or fresh ginger (optional, and I opted out)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional, and I opted out)

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter to keep the pumpkin gingerbread from sticking to the pan.
2 In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3 In another bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the pumpkin purée, melted butter, sugar, molasses, fresh or candied ginger, eggs, and water.
4 Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the raisins if using. Stir only until incorporated.
5 Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert the loaf to remove it from the pan. Let it cool on a rack for 30 minutes or longer.
The loaf's flavor will improve with time. If you cut into it while it is still a bit warm, it may be crumbly. In which case you may want to make your slices with a bread knife.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Source: Simply Recipes