Sour Cream Pumpkin Bread

Sour cream. One of my favorite condiments. And now, one of my favorite ingredients to bake with.

You've seen my post on sour cream banana bread. This is a rendition of that recipe, only with pumpkin instead of banana. So festive, right?

A few weeks ago we took a visit to the local pumpkin patch, where we picked our our family pumpkin and I also snagged a yummy sugar pie pumpkin.

Did you know that the canned pumpkin that you buy is actually winter squash? That's why when you taste something cooked or baked with actual pumpkin, it tastes so different (and better!).  But, be warned, the carving type of pumpkin does not taste the same as the type of pumpkin you'd use for baking or cooking. You'd want a sugar pie pumpkin for that. The reason for that is because carving pumpkins have been cultivated to grow large quickly, and they really don't have very good flavor to them. But sugar pie pumpkins are soooooo delicious!

Now that I've really piqued your interest, you might be wondering how to prepare said pumpkin. Super easy.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Cut pumpkin in half (horizontally)
• Scoop out the guts and seeds (save the seeds to roast them!)
• Place halves face down on a tin foil lined pan
• Bake for 30 minutes to an hour. The reason for the variation is that the thickness of the walls can vary. My first pumpkin this year only took about 30 minutes, but my second was much thicker and was almost the full hour. You will know when it is done by after 30 minutes, take it out quickly and flip one half over - stick a fork into the flesh and see if it is soft (like mashed potatoes). If it is hard at all, turn it back over and return to the oven for at least another 15 minutes.
• When it's done, remove the pumpkin from the oven and turn the halves over and cover with a dish towel and allow to cool off. Putting the dish towel over the pumpkins will allow them to cook off but not overly dry out because of the steam escaping.
• After the halves have cooled, take a spoon or ice cream scoop and start scooping out the flesh. It should be very easy. You can either store it in a tupperware as is (with a little bit of chunk to it), or you can puree it immediately and then store in a tupperware. It should last in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
• One sugar pie pumpkin will produce around 4 cups of pumpkin puree.

 Ok, so on to that awesome pumpkin bread recipe.

You will need:
non-stick cooking spray
1/4 c of sugar with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c softened butter (or 1/2 c Tropical Traditions Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c of home made pumpkin puree (see above)
2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour
*Optional: 1/4 c candied pecans

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray 2 bread pans with your non stick spray.
3. In a small bowl mix the 1/4 cup of sugar with the 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon. Dust onto the greased pans.

4. In a larger bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar together. Add eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Blend until well mixed.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly incorporate into the pumpkin mixture.
6. Divide batter between your pans.
7. Top with candied pecans.
8. Bake for about an hour (but check at 45 minutes), or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I promise, just like the original sour cream banana bread recipe, this sweet bread won't last long in your house.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.