Mixed Review: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread vs. Homemade Pumpkin Yeast Bread
I once had a roommate, Laura, whose mother would send each of us mini-loaves of pumpkin bread, plus a larger loaf for the entire apartment, every Halloween. It was a thoughtful gesture, and one that I looked forward to every fall. At a certain point, we all grow out of trick-or-treating, but we never lose our taste for comforting sweets when the chilly weather hits. Especially whey they're pumpkin-flavored.
A few weeks ago, a Trader Joe's moved to my Brooklyn neighborhood. Unable to contain my excitement, I went on opening day and came home with a boatload of groceries purchased entirely on impulse: diet pomegranate soda, barbecue-flavored soy chips, jarred artichoke pesto. I also picked up a box of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix ($2.99), probably because it was right around the time Laura's mom would have sent us our annual loaves.
Later that same week, I stumbled upon a recipe on the King Arthur Flour website for Pumpkin Yeast Bread. Never one to fear excess (especially when it comes to baking), I decided to make the Trader Joe's mix and the King Arthur's homemade version at the same time and compare the results.
Trader Joe's Version
Like most quick-bread mixes, the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread was a cinch to prepare. You just add eggs, oil, and water. After an hour in the oven, the loaf came out moist, spicy, and the color of molasses. Friends devoured it, though we all agreed the flavor was more reminiscent of gingerbread or generic spice cake than of pumpkin. In general, we were pleased that it wasn't overly sweet--often boxed mixes have a terrible, cloying taste--but the Trader Joe's version could almost be served alongside a meal of soup or chili, instead of cornbread.
Homemade Version
Obviously, the King Arthur Flour recipe took much longer to prepare: the process involved kneading and two rises, and yielded two loaves. While my bread baked up perfectly, with smooth tops, a pillowy interior, and a lovely orange hue, it--like the Trader Joe's Mix-- lacked that true pumpkin flavor I craved. Perhaps it needed more spice (next time I'll try increasing the ginger and cardamom to one teaspoon each). All that said, after sitting overnight, it tasted a bit more like pumpkin in the morning. I determined my homemade version would make exceptional French toast when slathered with maple syrup and sliced bananas.
Final Thoughts
So in the end, while both pumpkin bread versions I tried were good, neither compared to the one that exists in my memory. My experiment was a little disappointing, but then, what did I expect? Store-bought and home-baked can never compare to mom-made.
Homemade Pumpkin Yeast Bread
- makes two large loaves -
Adapted from KingArthurFlour.com
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
2 packages (2 tablespoons) active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (whole or low-fat)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups puréed pumpkin, either fresh or canned
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 1/2 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Procedure
1. In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil, 4 cups of flour, brown sugar, salt, ginger, and cardamom. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.
2. Gradually add remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead, adding flour as necessary, until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Turn once to coat, then cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into loaves and place in well-greased 10 x 5-inch pans. Cover again and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
5. While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature of each with an instant-read thermometer; a reading of 190ºF means that they are done.
6. Immediately remove bread from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack.
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11 Comments:
Is it fair to compare a yeast bread and a quick bread? In my mind they're entirely different, from texture and flavor, to uses.
ElspethAdair at 11:51AM on 10/17/08
I agree with you that the TJ version could replace cornbread with a bowl of soup or chili. I tried the mix last weekend (in muffin form) - quick, easy, and pretty good.
FamishedFem at 12:09PM on 10/17/08
I wonder if she was making you a tea cake instead?
Pumpkin Tea Cake
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup salad oil
3 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
½ cups nuts
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 ½ pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
Directions:
Beat sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in flour. Pour in lightly greased and lightly floured pans. Makes 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350º for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Coconuts at 1:13PM on 10/17/08
I get more pumpkin flavor in breads when using roasted, and then pureed, butternut squash. I have heard that most 'pumpkin' used commercially is really winter squash, mostly those huge bumpy light green ones, called Hubbard, I think. If you used canned pumpkin, I wonder what it said under ingredients on the can.
Blue Iris at 1:25PM on 10/17/08
I'm not too surprised that the pumpkin flavor didn't come through - there's really no substitute for a real, honest-to-god squash, roasted and pureed. (Great idea on the butternut, Blue Iris!)
I find that experimenting with different heirloom varieties from the farmer's markets yield differing results, but there's always a definite squash flavor.
Buttercup squash makes a great tea bread, by the way, and Kabocha squash yields nice results, too.
La Divina at 1:43PM on 10/17/08
First, it's not at all surprising that the TJ's bread didn't taste strongly of true pumpkin flavor since it's a mix and any pumpkin it contains would have to be dehydrated.
The yeast bread recipe contains a relatively small amount of pumpkin compared to the other ingredients. Also, it's very light on spices, which might be why it didn't have the flavor intensity you expected.
I must disagree with the idea that canned pumpkin is inferior to home-cooked pumpkin. I've tried both many times, and never can taste a difference in things like bread, pie, etc. Canned pumpkin is nothing more than cooked, pureed pumpkin. No salt, no sugar, just pumpkin. I like it because it's much more convenient, much quicker, with a reliable yield and no discernible difference in recipes. (I save the work of cooking fresh squashes for dishes where the squash will be somewhat intact and relatively unadorned.)
That said... I get lots and lots of requests for my pumpkin bread (a quick bread). It's super easy to make, very pumpkiny, dense, moist, and delicious. You can find it HERE in this old Serious Eats thread if interested.
LoCo at 3:35PM on 10/17/08
Here's a few tips to have the best success when making your own pumpkin puree. My favorite varieties of pumpkin are the Musquee de Provence, Long Island Cheese, and Jahradale (which has green-blue skin). You want to let the flesh drain overnight. Photos and instructions are here.
ExpatChef at 4:33PM on 10/17/08
Pumpkin bread is a quick bread, not a yeast bread.
A box mix will never be the same as home made, and home made pumpkin bread is unbelievably easy to put together. Many recipes for it include a lot of oil, one way I get around that is to cut the amount of oil required in half, and replace it with apple sauce.
Mares at 6:35PM on 10/17/08
To get that pumpkin flavor you're craving, replace the oil in any quick bread recipe with more pumpkin puree. Healthier, and plenty of pumpkin.
kriswithmany at 5:50PM on 10/21/08
As others have suggested, I don't understand why you didn't do a comparison of Trader Joes Pumpkin quick bread to a homemade pumpkin quick bread?
beeee at 10:57AM on 10/25/08
I just made this Trader Joe's pumpkin bread this evening! I have to say, it was pretty darn good. I was a bit frightened by the presence of dehydrated pumpkin on the label, and it was certainly enhanced by a dollop of whipped cream, but it was very quick and I only dirtied one bowl!
Also, you've gotta love that the ingredients in the mix are recognizable. I bought a Betty Crocker cake mix for the first time in years a few weeks ago and was disgusted to see that it was comprised mostly of artificial flavors and corn-based substances. All in all, the TJ's mix is pretty decent.
men7d at 11:27PM on 10/25/08