Ken Haedrich, cookbook author, says, "Since moving to New England nearly twenty years ago, I've heated the house with wood-burning stoves. And because our big Thanksgiving gatherings put oven space at a premium, I've often pressed those stoves into backup duty. That's how steamed breads—which can be cooked on top of the stoves — came to be a regular part of our feast. This steamed pumpkin bread provides another way to bring good pumpkin flavor to the meal, too.
I also serve my specialcrescent rollson the big day. One year, my kids let it be known that they wanted croissants on Thanksgiving, but that seemed like a bit more work than I could handle. Instead, I came up with these sesame crescents—croissant-like rolls with savory onion filling. I guess they did the trick, because nobody says much about croissants anymore. Plus, I can make the crescent rolls two weeks ahead and freeze them. That way, they don't take up any of that precious oven space."
Note that this bread needs to cook in an empty 28-ounce food can (such as the kind used to hold whole tomatoes).
成分
Makes 1 loaf
Step 1
Generously butter 1 empty 28-ounce can. Place small rack on bottom of large pot. Pour enough water into pot to reach depth of 3 inches. Bring water to boil
Step 2
Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Stir in dates and walnuts. Whisk buttermilk, pumpkin, honey and yolk in medium bowl. Add to dry ingredients. Stir just until blended. Transfer to can. Cover can with buttered foil, buttered side down. Secure foil tightly by tying kitchen string around can just below top rim.
Step 3
Place can on rack in pot; pour enough additional hot water into pot so that water level is 2/3 up sides of can. Bring water to boil. Cover pot; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until wooden skewer inserted into center of bread comes out clean, occasionally adding more hot water to pot to maintain water level, about 1 1/2 hours.
Step 4
Using tongs, transfer can to another rack. Cool 10 minutes. Remove foil. Run knife around sides of bread. Gently shake can to remove bread. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Return bread to can. Cover tightly with foil and secure with string. Store at room temperature. Steam bread in covered can on rack set over simmering water until heated through, about 15 minutes.) Cut into slices. Serve warm.
How would you rate Steamed Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts and Dates?
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Reviews (5)
Back to TopVery good. I made two batches and it seemed a little time consuming but worth it. The first batch was perfect but the second was soggy in the center, and there was no fixing it. Make sure you have a long enough implement to check the center!
coffeehead
Warrensburg, MO
11/22/2004
I have been researching early American dishes to wow my family on Thanksgiving, so I thought I would give this one a try. It was near close to impossible to find a rack to fit in any of my stock pots, so I ended up buying a trivet and this strange 'can colander', thinking either one would do the trick. I should have used the trivet because 30 minutes into steaming the bread, the whole can fell to one side in the pot. I then tried to put the can back, but ended up losing my grip on the tongs, and the whole thing fell into the boiling water! Undeterred, I scooped out the floating bread and put the trivet in the bottom instead. The rest cooked up fine, but, after all that work, I was left unimpressed. This dish is a very authentic representation of how the early settlers used Native American foods, but it was rather bland. Very healthy, but bland.
Anonymous
Rockford, IL
11/4/2002
I made this for Thanksgiving, however it was much too heavy and dense for the meal. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc. are already quite heavy; a light, fluffy bread would better offset the richness of those foods. Out of 12 guests, nobody ate it and I wound up throwing it away. I'm tellin' ya, it weighed a ton!!!What a disappointment.
Claudia
Venice, CA
10/19/2000
Delicious! Very moist, even when made one day ahead and reheated (follow their directions). It's not as sweet as you might think, but the honey gives it a great flavor. Definitely fill the can 2/3-3/4 full, or opt for a larger can (I used the 29 oz pumpkin can the second time I made it.
Sara Blanchard
Seattle, WA
11/22/1999
This bread is moist and delicious. I plan on making it again for next Thanksgiving. I used 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, instead of 1/2 c. white and 1/2 c whole wheat. I baked the bread in 24 ounce empty bean cans. When filling cans with batter, only fill 2/3 full!!! Otherwise bread will pop the cover. I found that 2/3 full allows bread to expand exactly to top of can, leaving a nice level top.
Jane
Claremont, NH
11/20/1999
