PUMPKIN BREAD                     

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!

We're experiencing our first fall like weather, gloomy, rainy, windy and of course leaves blowing everywhere; therefore a perfect day for my first baking project of the season.  Pumpkin loaf bread comes to mind and thank goodness I had all of the ingredients at hand. This recipe is something I have put together from three different recipes I had tried before.  Also, this recipe makes two loaves and I have one each cast iron and regular non-stick stainless steel pan.  After I gathered all of the ingredients I actually took the time to properly prep my pans ahead of time and it made things for smoother at the end 😉.     This is a gluten free, sugar free recipe but of course you can make it with regular flour and sugar, same quantities.

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
•  1/2 cup ghee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup stevia or sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  
• 3 1/2 cups gluten free flour or regular flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice) a combo or any
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons pepitas
• 3 tablespoons room temperature butter, 1 1/2 t sugar, 2 t pumpkin pie spice

I lined my loaf pans (2) with parchment paper, one piece along the length and one along the width which makes it easy to lift bread out of pan at the end.  In small bowl mix soft butter, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice. Apply this paste over the parchment paper.

 

Heat oven to 350*

Pant roast pepitas with a very small amount of butter, add a little sea salt at end.

In medium bowl combine eggs and sugars, mix well.  Add vegetable oil, ghee, vanilla, water and pumpkin puree, combine all ingredients. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spice blend and salt. Mix all ingredients till incorporated but don't over blend.

Fill baking pans and smooth top, sprinkle the pepitas mixture and lightly press in.  Bake in oven for 50 minutes and check by inserting a toothpick in center and it comes out clean.  Cool pans completely then lift parchment paper for easy removal from pan.  Enjoy!

PS:  note on the two different pans, CAST iron wins!

 

Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

 Since I had a lot of blueberries and ricotta from previous recipe I decided to make one of my Holiday breakfast meals which my husband loves and has been thinking about them since I told him about it yesterday.  This recipe I found at Driscoll's  (the berries company) website years ago and of course I'm now going at it keto style, gluten free, sugar free and dairy free.

Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes - Gluten, sugar and dairy free

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free flour of choice
• 1/4 cup granulated stevia
• 1 teaspoon baking powder - aluminum free
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dairy free ricotta 
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or any milk you like)
• 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 oz blueberries - a small package
• 2 eggs - separated  (Celia and Chris this does not mean distance apart, separate yolks from whites

Directions:

You'll need a griddle, comal or heavy bottom pan, vegetable oil

In a small bowl combine dry ingredients. In medium size bowl whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest.  In another bowl mix egg whites with hand mixer till soft forms peak.  To ricotta and other wet ingredients add dry ingredients until completely incorporated then fold in egg whites.  On to the greased hot griddle add about 1/2 cup of the batter for each pancake (mine were about 5" in diameter and made six from recipe), then scatter blueberries over top, when sides begin to brown turn and cook a couple more minutes.  You can serve with your syrup of choice of course, Enjoy!

 

Breakfast Cake (keto)

 Ina Garten's Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake

Hello everyone, on my first post this year I would like to share another one of my remastered recipes from my favorite chef, Ina Garten; where I am attempting to cook and bake keto and sugar free some of her recipes.  This a very simple and delicious recipe, perfect for winter mornings with a nice cuppa of tea.  One thing to remember it's that this remastered recipe will be a little denser than a traditional flour and sugar recipe but, for me is perfect.  Of course you can use regular flour and sugar and end up with the original version of this cake.

 Breakfast Cake (keto)

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9-inch round spring form pan.

Ingredients:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated Stevia, for baking
• 3 extra large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 1/4 cup almond flour-keto style (or flour of choice or combo 1/2 regular +1/2 almond)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
• Zero calories confectioners sugar such as Swerve, for dusting

Place butter and sugar in a bowl of electric mixer or hand mixer and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat on low, mixing well after each addition.  Add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest and mix well. (The batter will look curdled).

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing just to incorporate all ingredients, due not over mix.  Fold in 2/3 of the blueberries into the batter.  Transfer to the prepared springform pan and smooth the top.  Scatter the remaining blueberries on the cake and lightly press them into the surface.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes.  Remove the sides of the pan and lightly dust the top with confectioner's sugar, enjoy!