Savoury Pumpkin Cheese Bread

Baking with pumpkin should not be limited to sweet applications. I include pumpkin regularly on my dinner table in myriad forms. It can be a creamy soup, roasted in wedges with hints of caramel, or filled to the bream with bubbly cheese and bread. So why is it I automatically turn to molasses and cinnamon and cloves for help when I bake with pumpkin? Surely these two worlds can collide.

Pumpkin bread is a classic quick bread that I cannot get enough of. The same can also be said of cheese bread. Why not put them together? It makes perfect sense to bake a savoury loaf of pumpkin bread loaded with Swiss cheese and pumpkin seeds! I further highlighted the harvest flavour with hints of fresh sage, nutmeg, dried mustard, and smoked paprika.

Every thick slice of this comforting treat begs to be packed into my lunch bag. There is vegetable, there is cheese, there are seeds, and there are whole grains. I can almost claim my Pumpkin Cheese Bread to be a complete meal in and of itself! But a glass of hard cider or a hot bowl of soup would be perfect accompaniment too.

I chose Swiss cheese because it is mild and melts beautifully. However, crumbled blue cheese would be delicious if you love stronger flavours. I kept the recipe vegetarian this time but obviously a handful of chopped sautéed bacon can do no harm. I imagine dices of dried figs would be wonderful addition too.

Savoury Pumpkin Cheese Bread

serves 8

Ingredients

• 4.25 ounces all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2.75 fluid ounces / 1/3 cup grapeseed oil or other flavourless oil
• 7.5 ounces pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 2.75 fluid ounces / 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 4.5 ounces / 1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 2 ounces / 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients including all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, mustard, and smoked paprika.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients including oil, pumpkin puree, eggs, and buttermilk.
4. Using a large spatula, gently mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just blended. Do not over mix.
5. Fold shredded cheese, sage, and pumpkin seeds into batter.
6. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and level with spatula. Bake for 60 minutes until the top is domed and golden. Insert a skewer to the middle of the pumpkin cheese bread and it ought to come out clean.
7. Cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes and lift the bread from the pan. If you want neat slices, cool for about 30 minutes before slicing. This savoury cheese bread tastes mighty delicious when served warm. Also great with soup!