A sweet autumn treat - low-fat pumpkin bread recipes - includes related article on how quick breads rise and a glossary of cooking terms - Recipe Redux - Column

Vegetarian Times, Nov, 1995 by Carl Jerome

My treasured recipe for pumpkin quick bread, clipped years ago from a newspaper, contains a lot of oil, eggs and nuts. I like to bake it around holiday time to give as a gift, but I'd feel better giving it if it were healthier. Can you help?

The French have their baguettes and the Italians their focaccia. But Americans are masters of quick bread, having invented baking powder, quick bread's key leavening agent, in 1889.

Quick breads reflect our national proclivity to fix something fast and eat on the run. And while the expression "as American as apple pie" is often bandied about, pumpkin quick bread is certainly more American than apple pie, which was borrowed from the British. What's more, pumpkin, unlike apples, is native to North America.

High-fat quick breads and muffins can easily be made low-fat by replacing the fat with fruit purees, such as pumpkin, applesauce and prune, according to Virginia Machado, who works with me at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. For the following recipe, we substituted pumpkin puree for most of the fat. We've also taken out the nuts, replacing them with chopped apricots. Consequently, we switched from the usual spices of cinnamon and nutmeg to a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and coriander to give the bread a brighter, livelier taste that is bound to please both your family and holiday company.

Pumpkin-Apricot Quick

Bread

Dried apricots reduce the fat and calories in this recipe, and provide a delightful flavor and texture.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom (see glossary) 1/4 tsp. ground coriander (see glossary) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots 15-oz. can pumpkin puree 1 Tbs. Egg Replacer (see glossary) dissolved in 4 Tbs. water, or 2 eggs 1/3 cup orange juice 1 Tbs. grated orange zest

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coriander, sugar and apricots; mix thoroughly.

In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, Egg Replacer or eggs, orange juice and zest. Pour pumpkin mixture over dry ingredients; stir until batter is well blended.

Transfer batter to loaf pan; bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Makes 1 loaf.

Helpful Hint: Tent loaf with foil to avoid overbrowning halfway through baking, if necessary. PER SERVING: 143 CAL.; 2G PROT.; 0.3G FAT; 34G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 223MG SOD.; 2G FIBER. VEGAN/OVO-LACTO

Pumpkin Bread

Before Redux

Nuts, eggs and oil make this loaf moist and rich, but high in fat, calories and cholesterol. The following ingredients would make three loaves.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 3 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 cup vegetable shortening 36 cup water 2 cups pumpkin puree 1 1/2 cups walnuts PER SERVING: 160 CAL.; 3G PROT.; 4G FAT; 29G CARB.; 28MG CHOL.; 260MG SOD.; 1.5G FIBER. OVO-LACTO

How Quick

Breads Rise

Quick breads refer to a large group of baked goods that includes biscuits, muffins, scones, popovers, and a variety of sweet and savory loaf breads. Quick breads do not contain yeast as a leavening agent.

Quick breads rise by producing gases that form bubbles, or air pockets in the batter. This occurs when an alkaline ingredient (such as baking soda) is mixed with an acidic ingredient (such as buttermilk). Bubbles also form when baking powder is exposed to moisture and/or heat. As quick-bread batters bake, they set around the air pockets, giving the bread volume and texture.

Here is a rundown on some common leavening agents:

* Single-acting baking powder requires only moisture to release gas. The moisture is supplied by eggs, milk, water or other liquid in the batter. Batters using single-acting baking powder must be baked immediately.

* With double-acting baking powder, a small amount of gas is released when contact with moisture is made, and then there is a stronger release when heat is applied. Batters made with double-acting baking powder can sit a short time without losing too much leavening ability.

* Baking soda releases gas only if both an acid and moisture are present. Heat is not necessary for this, to occur, so the batter must be baked immediately. Acids commonly used with baking soda include buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, honey, molasses and fresh fruit. Baking soda and baking powder are often used together in batters.

GLOSSARY

Cardamon: An aromatic spice native to India that is often used in baked goods. Can be purchased whole or ground; whole cardamom resembles small green pods. The pods contain tiny black seeds which can be loosened from the husk with a mortar and pestle.

Coriander: Dark green leaves and seeds of the coriander herb. The leaves also are known as cilantro; the seeds are the small, dried fruits of the plant. Whole coriander is often used in pickling, while the ground form is often used in baked goods and curries. Available in supermarkets.