A Simple Equation

For whatever reason the hubby and I hardly ever go out to eat. I guess a combination of money and my love of cooking keeps our stove warm. Today we decided to venture out and check out a well known Chicago institution, Ann Sather. I first noticed her name when taking Nico out for a walk when we first moved into the Lakeview neighborhood. She had a park named after her and it wasn't until I saw a restaurant and cafe bearing her name that I really began to wonder who she was. Turns out she was a sweet lady who bought a Swedish restaurant over sixty years ago and dedicated herself to providing delicious, made from scratch, diner fare for a very reasonable price. We gasped when our waitress sat down two enormous cinnamon rolls in front of us after we placed our order, turns out it comes with the meal! These beauties were served warm with just the right amount of icing, not too much so as to be overwhelming. Needless to say we left stuffed and completely satisfied and I'm happy that I finally know what Ann Sather is all about. We'll definitely be back.

You'd think after gorging myself on cinnamon rolls I couldn't possibly want any more baked goods but I've been dying to make a recipe that combines all my favorite things of the season.

Pumpkins! + Beer! + Bread! =
Pumpkin Beer Bread!!!

It's just as glorious as you can imagine.. the best part is you get to drink the remainder of the Imperial Pumking Ale. This beer from Southern Tier is by far one of the best seasonal ales you can find. The pumpkin pie spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice that are present in this beer go hand in hand with our pumpkin bread.

This recipe is easy peasy. Consider using 1 1/2 cups of white flour and 1/2 cup of wheat flour to enhance the flavor and create a density that is nice in a quick bread of this caliber. If you choose to add walnuts to your bread, and I highly recommend it, toast them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant. The toasted walnuts will add a nice crunch and depth of flavor to the final result. I also used freshly grated nutmeg which I've convinced myself tastes completely different from nutmeg purchased already ground. It's more aromatic and rounds out dishes nicely with a subtle flavor that's lacking in the commercially ground spice.

Wherever you are I hope you're enjoying the autumn weather. If you're not this will certainly help you get in the mood. Bon Appetit!

Pumking Beer Bread
Yields One 9 inch loaf
 
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of allspice
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup pumpkin ale
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)


1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the bottom of loaf pan; set aside.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice together in a large bowl; set aside.

3. Mix melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs and pumpkin ale together in a medium bowl. Lightly fold pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. Add walnuts and fold into batter. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about an hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.