Practically perfect cranberry-pumpkin bread

I was grumping recently (yeah, I grump sometimes) about how pumpkin companies need to make their cans of pureed pumpkin two full cups, not 1 3/4 cups. Most recipes I have for pumpkin baked goods ask for a full cup.

My pumpkin blondies, for example…and oh goodness, they are so very good! I made them when all the kids were home this past weekend, so I had about 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin puree in the fridge, waiting to be used. I have to be honest, I have put off using that extra 3/4 cup before, and had to toss it days later.

Not this time.

I decided to make a pumpkin bread with the extra puree, and it turned out really well, as I used wonderful aromatic spices and added rehydrated dried cranberries to boost the flavor.

Here’s what I did:

Mama Steph’s Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread

1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:

1. Plump the berries: Place the 1/3 cup water in a saucepan with the cup of dried cranberries. Bring to a simmer, stir, and remove from heat.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

4. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add pumpkin and oil, and whisk until combined.

5. Add wet mixture to dry, and gently stir until just combined (no remaining visible clumps of flour)

6. Fold in berries, including the juice that they’ve created. Combine gently with spatula until they are evenly distributed in the batter.

7. Pour batter into a loaf pan that you’ve sprayed with Pam or Baker’s Joy, or greased and floured.

8. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. For a large loaf, expect it to take about an hour. If dividing into two smaller loaf pans, bake for about 35 minutes. (I do this to save time.)

You could also make this into muffins of any size, adjusting baking times accordingly.

I hope you enjoy this simple, delicious recipe; it’s not reinventing the wheel, but it IS helping you use up your food instead of wasting it, and it’s also saving you time, if you use my tip and bake it into two smaller loaves. 🙂

That’s why I call it “practically perfect!”

p.s. Here’s a pic of some of my family with Santa Scirto from KLTV, just for fun! That’s me on the left, my son’s sweet girlfriend Emma, my oldest son Justin, and my little sister, Sherrin. We had a fun day at Tyler’s Holiday in the Park, sponsored by my station, KLTV7.