It's like clockwork: Every fall, once that first leaf falls off a tree, it seems like everyone heads to their kitchens to bake pumpkin bread. We get it—we love pumpkin, too, as exhibited by our pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice latte recipes. But for most people, pumpkin bread is a sweet treat—a moist loaf made with flour and sugar, infused with warm spices, and often accompanied by some sort of sweet topping such as a streusel or a glaze. But have you tried the other type of pumpkin bread—the yeasted variety? If you haven't, this versatile savory take on pumpkin bread definitely deserves your attention this fall.
“Whether in a latte or pie, our concept of pumpkin flavor revolves almost entirely around added sugar and spice,” writes Stella Parks in her yeasted pumpkin bread recipe. Pumpkin itself doesn’t add much sweetness to recipes, but rather a warm color and a subtle earthy flavor. In the spirit of cooking seasonally, though, Stella likes to use pumpkin purée in place of water in a basic sandwich loaf made up of flour, salt, and yeast. The result is a fluffy and light bread with a relatively fine crumb and that offers a deeper flavor than your average sandwich loaf—a very subtle sweetness with a hint of nuttiness. And, it has a number of fantastic uses.
Griddle up Some Grilled Cheese
If you’re looking for a way to switch up your grilled cheese, yeasted pumpkin bread has been waiting for you. We have no shortage of grilled cheese recipes to choose from, so whether you’re in the mood for a classic grilled cheese with American, cheddar, or Jack or one filled with Brie and Nutella, the faint sweetness in this pumpkin bread is ready to play along with almost any flavor.
Swap It for Plain White or Wheat in Just About Any Sandwich
A sandwich with plain white or wheat bread? Boring! A sandwich with yeasted pumpkin bread? Thrilling! Mysterious! Living life on the edge! The nuanced flavor of this bread gives it a wide range of applications, making a loaf fair game in just about any sandwich where you'd use average sandwich bread. You can’t go wrong with classic sandwiches like a ham and cheese, turkey club, or croque monsieur. But if you want to complement the loaf’s subtle sweetness, try it as the base of a PB&J or pressed into a Monte Cristo. And for the ultimate Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, slather some cranberry sauce on a few slices of the bread and stuff it with turkey.
Turn It Into French Toast
French toast doesn’t have to be reserved for those lingering slices of bread that are about to go stale. If you have a fresh loaf of yeasted pumpkin bread, you can easily turn it into breakfast with pantry staples like eggs, sugar, butter, and milk. The bread’s complexity will add a little more depth to your everyday French toast. (And, yes, you can make French toast with stale yeasted pumpkin bread, too.)
Use It in Stuffing
What’s more Thanksgiving than a stuffing made with pumpkin bread? Tear it up and add it to a classic sage and sausage stuffing, or try it in a vegan stuffing alongside mushrooms and pecans.
With a new autumn tradition under your belt, it's time to head into the kitchen to make this savory pumpkin bread—we're calling it the upgrade of the season.
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