Monday, October 29, 2012

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (see other Kee Kitchen recipe from Smitten Kitchen - prebake it completely)
(Use 1/2 of pie dough recipe, press chilled dough into pie plate, refrigerate 15 minutes, fold under sides of pan, place on baking sheet, cover with sheet of foil and pie weights or pennies.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove foil/weights, rotate, and bake another 5-10 minutes.)

2 8" "pie" pumpkins -  use 3 cups of the finished product
1 c. sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon - actually do less
1 tsp ground cloves - actually do less
1 tsp allspice - actually do less
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1.5 cans (12 oz each) evaporated milk

This pie came out delicious but it definitely has serious spice to it!  Next time I'll probably dial back the cinnamon to just 1 tsp, and possibly a bit less on the cloves and allspice as well.

Directions:
- Use serrated knife to saw pumpkins in half (or very large slices) - scoop out all seeds and stringy parts in center of pumpkin
- Steam pumpkin on stovetop for around 10 minutes, until pumpkin flesh is soft enough to scoop out easily
- Puree pumpkin using blender or immersion blender
- Mix pureed pumpkin (3 cups of it) with all other ingredients, pour into crust (not more than 1/4" from top)
- Wrap pre-baked crust edges in some aluminum foil to prevent burning
- Bake at 425 for first 15 minutes, then at 350 for 45-60 more minutes, until clean knife in center comes out clean.


Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pumpkin Bread/Cake


2/3 cup (10 tablespoons) butter
2 c. sugar (or Splenda)
4 eggs
2 c. (16 oz can) pumpkin
2/3 c. water      
3 ½ c. flour
2 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Baking powder
¾ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 c. (or more) dried cranberries

Melt butter, add sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and water gradually

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Fold in cranberries

Grease/flour 2 or 3 loaf pans (9 x 5 x 3)
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

HALF-RECIPE

1/3 c (5 tbsp) butter
1c sugar
2 eggs
1c pumpkin
1/3 c water
1 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

dried cranberries as desired

I baked this in 2 mini-muffin pans for about 25 minutes

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls


Amazing.  Spectacular.  Unreal.  Possibly the most delicious, indulgent thing I've ever baked, and as someone who doesn't consider something to be a "dessert" without chocolate, that's saying a lot.  


Dough

6 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 cup milk warm (not over 116F)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from 1 .25-ounce or 7 gram envelope yeast)
3 1/2 c flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cardamom (optional)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2/3 cups pumpkin puree
1 large egg
Oil for coating rising bowl

Filling

3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp milk or buttermilk

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Few drops vanilla extract (optional)

Make your dough:

- Melt butter (if in pan, brown slightly) - let cool slightly
- Put yeast in small bowl with warm milk, allow to foam for 5-7min (start over if it doesn't)
- In mixer combine flour, sugars, salt, spices, and 1/4c (4 tbsp) of the melted butter, stir

- Add yeast-milk mixture, pumpkin, egg, mix until combined
- Change to dough hook, run for 5 min on LOW
- Put mixture into large oiled bowl, cover w plastic, set for 1 hour to double in size
- Line the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pan and the paper.

Assemble buns:

- Remove dough from bowl, flour top well, roll it out into 16x11" rectangle
- Brush w remaining (2tbsp) melted butter, sprinkle mixture of sugars/salt/cinnamon
- Roll dough from long side into tight spiral, use serrated knife to gently saw into 1" sections
- Put buns into pans, cover w plastic wrap, let rise 45 min
- CHOICE: either put them in fridge now and leave them out for 1-hour in morning, or remove plastic and bake now at 350 for 25 min

Glaze:

- Beat your cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. 
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you’re looking for, either thick enough to ice or thin enough to drizzle.