Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 200 g all purpose flour 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 240 ml pumpkin puree canned ( or homemade**)
• 0.5 cup butter melted (1 stick, or 112 g)
• 0.5 cup brown sugar dark
• 120 ml blackstrap molasses 
• 1 Tbsp candied fresh finely minced
• 2  eggs beaten
• 3 Tbsp water 
• 0.5 cup raisins 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• loaf pan
• wooden spoon
• skewers
• bread knife

Directions

1. Preheat oven and prepare pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter to keep the pumpkin gingerbread from sticking to the pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the pumpkin purée, melted butter, sugar, molasses, fresh or candied ginger, eggs, and water.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Add the raisins if using. Stir only until incorporated.
6. Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert the loaf to remove it from the pan.
8. Let it cool on a rack completely before slicing.
9. The loaf's flavor will improve with time. If you cut into it while it is still a bit warm, it may be crumbly. In which case you may want to make your slices with a bread knife.