I'm always looking for new ways to do something that's a well-loved
stand-by, lol. I love pumpkin pie, which is funny because I never liked it as a
kid. Wasn't my thing, I liked my fruit pies, blueberry especially. I can't say
I remember when I started loving pumpkin pie actually, I think I was into
adulthood to be honest! But anyway, I thought this recipe for No-Fuss Pumpkin Pie Bites from King Arthur Flour sounded like a fun way to get your traditional pumpkin
pie fix, in cute little personal-sized desserts! (probably why I love cupcakes
- they are small individual single-serving sized cakes, how fun is that?) Not
to mention how easy this treat would be to transport and share - it's already
cut, just needs some whipped cream (or not) or honey as my father-in-law
prefers and you're good to go! I mean, technically, you don't even need eating
utensils, as they are even contained in their own little wrapper to hold on to,
peel away and eat!
I did have a mishap though, and ended up making 2 batches.
The first batch, I had whipped up in a jiffy - it really is an easy recipe and
comes together super quick - and I had about 3 or 4 of the muffin tins filled
when I realized I used the wrong flour! I had even specifically bought
self-rising flour for this recipe. And since I couldn't find the King Arthur
Self-Rising flour in any of my stores (which are only like 3 to choose from,
lol), I ordered it from their website to be sure I had it, lol. But what did I
do? Not even thinking, I had used
regular flour. So, I hastily dumped the already-filled foil wrappers back into
the batter bowl, and stirred in a teaspoon of baking powder as per a quickly looked-up
recipe for homemade self-rising flour and hoped for the best. Well, they tasted
good, but the texture seemed off, too dry for what I expected them to be like. I
really wanted to get them done correctly, so even though they were yummy as is,
I made another batch. The 2nd batch was much better because it had a better
texture - more pie-like, than my non-self-rising-flour batch. As they state in
their description of the recipe, it's reminiscent of the "impossible
pie" recipes - and it is, the outer edge makes a sort-of crust, while the
middle is more of the pie texture - it all equals up to a big yum factor though
no matter what!
They are easy to make, easy to take and easy to eat! That
makes them a perfect dessert offering whether you are making them to take to a
gathering, making them package up and give away or making them just to eat at
home yourself. They certainly live up to their name - they are no-fuss in all
aspects!!
The recipe:
from Kris B
Though it still doesn't look like fall outside
in Texas, there is definitely a feeling of fall swirling around. People are wearing sweaters and long sleeves,
despite the fact that the temperatures are still consistently in the seventies,
because that is what you are supposed to do in November. Hints of Christmas are popping up in malls
and a few peoples' yards, but most importantly, the grocery stores now have
their big displays of baking items front and center! Right now, there is an abundance of orange
from those gorgeous cans of pureed pumpkin!
Lol! I realize that you actually can buy puréed pumpkin all year long;
for whatever reason though, I only think about it in the fall.
Last
fall, I shared my mom's pumpkin quick bread recipe. It may be my favorite recipe by which to
remember my mom. It is a traditional
"sweet" pumpkin bread. This
year, looking for something different, I found King Arthur Flour's Holiday
Pumpkin Bread. It is a yeast bread, not
sweet, but has all of the spices that I associate with my mom's pumpkin
bread. Plus, it is braided to add a
fancy look to your holiday table...or kitchen counter.
The Holiday Pumpkin Bread is
the easiest yeast bread recipe that I have ever made. It requires no proofing of the yeast. All you do is throw all of the ingredients in
a bowl, mix them either by hand, mixer with a dough hook, or bread machine, and
set it aside to rise for about ninety minutes.
After the first rise, the dough is divided in half. (It makes two 8"-9" rings.). Each
half is then divided into three pieces, from which 18" ropes are made and
then braided. The braids are made
into rings, placed in the two pans to
again rise for ninety minutes. Then they bake for 30 minutes. And then you have two beautiful Holiday
Pumpkin Bread rings. They keep for five
days, or may be frozen for several months.
They look like you slaved in the kitchen for days. Lol!
This
bread has a great deal of flavor on its own, but a little butter, cinnamon
butter, or honey and it becomes a real treat.
My daughter thinks that it would be good with cranberries. I haven't tried that yet; however, neither of
our two rings made it to the freezer so I'll be making another batch before
Thanksgiving. I may give the cranberries
a try!
Though
I bake a lot throughout the year, there is something different about baking at
this time of the year. It may be the
pumpkin...and the cinnamon; or, it may be that much of what I bake during the
holidays is shared or given away to others.
I bake for my students as the semester becomes more stressful during the
final stretch, I bake for my colleagues because they are grateful for anything
that makes its way to the workroom as a quick snack between classes. I bake for holiday gatherings. And, I do lots of baking for gifts. The words "company" and
"companion" mean "with bread." This holiday season, make some bread and
break it with those you love. It is at
the table where true community flourishes.
Recipe Link:
