Pumpkin Bread with Maple Brown Butter Glaze

 Recipe From: Laura

What would I do without ‘pumpkin spice everything’ on every corner to pull me out of my end-of-summer sorrows? 😊  So years ago, a dear lady friend presented Brooklyn & I with two mini loaves of her Pumpkin Bread. WOW!  Mother of all sweet indulgences!  I was left to wonder, what sorcery is this?  It was the kind that was forever embedded in my psyche and should come with a warning label that reads:  Screams will ensue if consumed.  This pumpkin bread was decadently spiced with fall-infused flavors and laced with a luscious maple icing—never was there a more iconic duo.   I enthusiastically inhaled that mini loaf then and there, even devouring the icing off the wrap, and begging her for the recipe, of course.  Lol   Asked again a week later, and again a few weeks later, then lost count after that but no luck.   Not sure if she forgot or doesn’t give out her recipes?  Well, I probably bothered her enough hahaha  But that’s okay lil’ missy because one thing about me is I will find out one way or another…..or come really close. You see,  I’m a findoutologist. I even have my PHD in findoutology.  😊 lol   My journey to crack the code on the enigmatic pumpkin bread & mind-blown maple icing resulted in sifting through copious amounts of recipes, baking & taste testing-- all of which is half the fun!  The other half is when you’ve discovered the real deal. *See tips below for the best tasting pumpkin bread.*

 

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice *see note below to make own*

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs - room temperature, beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/2 c. white sugar -OR-  1 c. brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or maple extract

½ cup salted butter, melted

1 ½ cup canned Libby’s pumpkin puree*see note. don’t use entire can*

¼ cup sour cream at room temperature

1 c. milk chocolate chips

3/4 c. nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan very generously!! Even easier is to line the bread pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang to help with removal of the loaf.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla, melted butter, pumpkin, and sour cream, and whisk well until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in dry ingredients, nuts and chocolate chips until they are barely combined.

Transfer to prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for about an hour, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the loaf comes out clean. (1 hr. for me was perfect but depends on amount of batter you put in the pan).   If you butter lined the pan, Leave in pan til almost cool then remove from bread pan carefully and place on cooling rack.  If parchment lined, remove from pan after a few min. after its out of the oven.

 Maple Brown Butter Glaze

 4 Tablespoon salted butter - cut into chunks (see note)

1⅓ cup  powdered sugar – sifted

3-4 Tablespoon pure maple syrup

1½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 Tablespoon roasted, shelled pumpkin seeds, optional

Heat a light-colored sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add cubed butter and melt, whisking regularly. Butter will start to foam and milk solids will begin to separate. Your brown butter is done when milk solids are a deep caramel color, and the butter gives off a nutty aroma. Immediately remove from pan to a heatproof container, scraping brown bits along with it. Let cool slightly.  Whisk together brown butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.

Sift in powdered sugar and whisk until smooth, adding 1-2 teaspoons of additional maple syrup as needed to achieve desired consistency. Pour over cooled pumpkin bread, top with toasted pumpkin seeds, and let set.

For the best brown butter color, look up videos on ‘how to make browned butter’.

Make your own pumpkin pie spice: 1½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice.

 Laura's tips for this comforting autumnal favorite :

 If you can bear to wait a day, cover the bread with saran wrap or place it in an air-tight container & let it sit for a day---it tastes even better! Believe me. The flavors will meld, and it becomes even more moist.  

 When ready to eat, smother with the decadent icing.   Double the recipe because it gets devoured quickly.

 A can of pumpkin will give you a little more than 1.5 cups, so when you use one for this recipe, you'll have a few tablespoons of pumpkin leftover. 

Also, use Libby’s brand pumpkin puree.  All the other brands are too thin and don’t match up to the quality & taste of Libby’s.

If your bread is gummy, you may have added too little flour or too much pumpkin.  Measure out the pumpkin puree. Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour.