Pumpkin Raisin Bread
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 packet active dry yeast (not quick-rise)
  • 1-1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • ⅔ cup solid vegetable shortening - (Crisco plain, not butter flavor)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 7 to 7-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup dark raisins
  • Softened butter for brushing on loaves
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 5 to 6 teaspoons water
  • ½ teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
  1. In large bowl of electric mixer, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in the sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in raisins and enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle but still soft.
  2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover bowl with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. Dough is ready if impression remains when pressed with fingers.
  3. Punch dough down and divide evenly in half. Roll each half into a rectangle, 18-by-9 inches. Roll up, beginning at short side. Press each end to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place each loaf seam side down in two greased loaf pans, 9-by-5-by-3-inches. Brush loaves lightly with softened butter. Let rise until double, about 1 hour.
  4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust racks in oven so that tops of loaves are in center of oven. Pans should not touch each other or the sides of the oven. Bake until deep golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
  5. Mix powdered sugar with water and pumpkin pie spice. (start with 5 teaspoons; add another if needed). Drizzle over loaves.
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/sphere-magazine-october-1973/