Tag: fall baking

Breakfast

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

Becca Bakes

Once you tried homemade pancakes, you will never go back to the box mix. I swear.

Hi friends and faithful followers (all three of you). It has been a while since I have posted in the baking blog, but man, it has been a crazy year! During this time at home, while everyone else was getting into baking, I took a step back. I knew we would be in this for the long haul and I wanted to try some healthier eating habits. Now that fall is here, I have a new kitchen to bake in, and my very first standing mixer (naturally, I named her Martha), I am back to baking!

In my first from-scratch baking excursion of the year, I wanted to try something I have never done before. Homemade pancakes can’t be that much better than the box mix, right? Wrong. So wrong. These pancakes are nearly an inch thick – the kind of fluffy goodness I have only dreamed about. The outsides crisp from being fried in butter, just like how my grandma used to make them. Unlike many fall dishes, the pumpkin spice does not overpower the treat, but acts as a complement to the rich toasted pecans. What I’m trying to say is, these pancakes might be the best thing I have ever made.

Tips and Tricks

  • This same batter can be used to make pumpkin pecan waffles! Just let the batter rest in the fridge for 10 minutes or so. The cooler the batter, the better the waffle (the insides won’t overcook, but the outside will be crisp!)
  • Top the pancakes however you like. I used powdered sugar and maple syrup. You might want to try a cinnamon or honey butter
  • True bakers will tell you to chop nuts after you toast them so that they are less likely to burn. I bought my pecans already chopped, but I kept a close eye on those bad boys
  • You can substitute 1 tsp of pumpkin spice for all of the other spices listed. I prefer making my own mixture so that I can go easy on the ginger and heavy on the cinnamon. Feel free to play around with the spices, or go easy on yourself and use a premixed pumpkin spice
  • Do not overmix the pancake batter! Pancakes need lumps and air to be the fluffy little nuggets we love

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (heaping)
  • 1/16 tsp ground ginger (a pinch will do!)
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle pecans on the sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until pecans are brown. Set aside
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
  4. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
  6. Stir until just combined – we love lumps!
  7. Let the batter rest for a few minutes (and a few minutes longer if you chose to make waffles)
  8. Gently fold in the toasted pecans, again, being sure not to overmix the batter
  9. Warm a griddle or non-stick pan on the stovetop on medium-low heat
  10. Just before adding the pancake batter, let a dab of butter melt and brown on the griddle
  11. Add a dollop of pancake batter to the griddle
  12. When cute little holes and bubbles form in the pancake, it is ready to be flipped! Pancakes only like to be flipped once, be patient young grasshopper.
  13. Do not press down the pancake after you flipped it. Are you trying to flatten it? No thank you.
  14. The second side will cook much faster than the first, watch those pancakes carefully before flopping them over to your plate
  15. Sprinkle with toppings like powdered sugar and maple syrup
  16. Enjoy!

These pancakes are everything that is perfect about fall. Happy Baking!

-R

Breakfast

Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Becca Bakes

Today, I just needed a win. I decided to eat healthy this week, so this morning I put a pork roast in the crockpot and went to work all smug. Meal prep? I’m the epitome of health! I come home to the smell of a beautiful pork roast, take it out of the crockpot, and notice that I left that cute little plastic cooling pack on the pork. And it exploded. And it’s toxic. So, I guess I ruined dinner again.

That’s when I switched to baking, something I never screw up. I had an extra jar of pumpkin puree and my mom just bought me a tub of pumpkin pie butter (delish!), so I decided on making a pumpkin bread.

Now most people will tell you that baking is harder than cooking because it is an exact science – every measurement must be perfect and substitutions don’t always work out. For the most part, I agree with those people, but I also think that there are some substitutions you can make and still be confident that your pastry will turn out tasty. For instance, you can use vegetable oil, butter, coconut oil, and shortening interchangeably. You can substitute, add, or subtract any combination of spices (cinnamon, clove, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, nutmeg, etc). You can sub bread flour, whole wheat flour, or almond flour for white flour. You can’t substitute sugar for flour or baking soda for baking powder. So go ahead and play around with the recipe and make it your own!

Tips and Tricks

  • Try using your favorite oil (vegetable, coconut, shortening) instead of butter in the bread mix if you would like to make this recipe your own. Butter is always my go-to oil
  • Use a fork or a toothpick to check the bread – when the utensil comes out clean, you are done baking!
  • If you don’t have cinnamon sugar, you can create your own by combining 2 parts cinnamon with 1 part white sugar
  • This dough is a little thicker than a normal bread dough – don’t worry, the pumpkin will keep it moist
  • Spraying the pan and dusting with flour before pouring in the dough will allow you to pop the bread right out of the pan cleanly

Ingredients for Bread

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup LIbby’s pure pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Ingredients for Streusel Topping

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  2. Grease and sprinkle flour onto a bread loaf tin
  3. Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl with hand mixer until well combined
  4. Add in eggs and pumpkin and beat until light and fluffy
  5. Add in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat until well combined
  6. Pour into pan, making sure the dough is distributed evenly
  7. In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon sugar with a fork or pastry cutter
  8. Sprinkle streusel topping over bread dough, covering the top of the bread
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes
  10. Cool for 10 minutes (don’t eat it yet – resist the temptation!)
  11. Pop out of the pan, and enjoy!

I hope you are enjoying pumpkin season as much as I am! If you need a win too, try this pumpkin recipe and let me know how it turns out!

-R