ive been punk’d

first, let me get some facts straight. some of the things i love are: dogfishhead beer, pumpkin ale, pumpkin spice, brown sugar, bread, pumpkin bread, just about anything fall-related except for mushy squash. here is something i dont like: recipes that sound fantastic but in reality are not.

a couple weeks ago i was looking for a new recipe for pumpkin bread when i stumbled upon one that used dogfishhead punkin’ ale as the base. i was so excited and it took a lot of self control not to make it right away. i had other things to bake, and i figured i would bring this with me to the next potluck where it would presumably be a big hit.

my friend sheryl wanted to cook together for the potluck, but since she couldnt make it over til a bit later and i didnt want to be baking too late, i got started without her. when she arrived the punkin’ bread had just come out of the oven and i was just getting started on the pumpkin cookies. she came in and immediately noted how good it smelled in my house; i told her that although the house might smell good, the bread, unfortunately, did not. upon a closer whiff, she agreed with me.

but hey, sometimes things taste better than they smell. sheryl thought it was too bitter, but enjoyed it better with some apple butter. i did not think it was too bitter, as i enjoy bitter things. once i got past expecting a sweet pumpkin-like bread and accepted it as more of a regular yeast bread, i noticed that it was not cohesive; the spice to sugar ratio was off, the texture wasnt exactly right either. it was too spongy on the inside for a yeast bread, but the top was getting dried out so i couldnt bake it any longer. per sheryl’s suggestion, this bread is not coming to the potluck with us… thankfully i have the cookies to fall back on! (yeah, i made the pre-school pumpkin cookies again, but veganized them this time, which were, in fact, a hit)

Dogfish Punkin Bread (from examiner.com)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine:

12 oz bottle of Dogfish Punkin Ale

3 cups self-rising cake flour.

1 tablespoon brown sugar

A dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, but not too much, as you don’t want to get in the way of the flavors Sam Calagione and co. have created.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve/eat piping hot, slathered with butter, or better yet, locally made apple butter.  Pairs beautifully with a spicy tea like chai, on a rainy day.