Ontario Maple Pumpkin Bread

Fall is a time to savour crisp apples,  warm drinks, and sweet and savoury desserts. This pumpkin bread incorporates the best of fall flavours – sweet pumpkin, maple syrup, and a hint of cinnamon. You can serve this as a dessert or a main course for an afternoon tea.

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients:

Makes one loaf of pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin Bread

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups or 1-15 oz. can pureed pumpkin
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup Sweet Ontario maple syrup
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• cinnamon butter (recipe below)
• warm maple syrup, for drizzling (optional)

Cinnamon Butter

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper, allowing it to overhang the pan.
2. Melt the pumpkin bread butter over medium heat.  Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the butter is browned, swirling often, about 6 minutes. Once browned, turn off the heat and let the butter cool.
3. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar to a separate bowl. Whisk in the brown butter until smooth. Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat well.
4. Add in the pumpkin puree, sour cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract one at a time, whisking until smooth between each addition. Working in batches, sprinkle in the dry ingredients, whisking until smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately one hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cover the bread with a piece of foil and let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Remove foil and allow the pumpkin bread to fully cool. Lift the parchment from the loaf pan to gently remove the bread.
7. Serve each slice with a swirl of cinnamon butter with a drizzle of warm, sweet Ontario maple syrup.

Cinnamon Butter

1. Combine the softened butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Blend (or whisk) until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.