Pumpkins and Pinterest-10/27/11

 Ever since I began this blogging thing I've wanted to post my own recipe on "Cooking Mag Mommy".  I struggle with one big question though.  What makes a recipe mine?  When am I no longer copying the ideas of others and coming up with something "original" to me?  I mean...bake at 350.  Not exactly a novel idea!   Tonight I made a pumpkin pull-apart bread adapted from a recipe I found through pinterest.com on the blog, "Sunny Side Up in San Diego". recipe link here  Earlier this week, I had made a Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread I found on the blog "The Pastry Affair" using tastespotting.com, another awesome site I've been using to find great recipes on blogs. recipe link here  The recipe I came up with used measurements and cooking techniques from both recipes but the finished product really was its own recipe.   And it was really good!  Richard and I ate over 1/2 of it while watching the World Series tonight.
Here's my recipe!   I'm so proud...

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread with Rum-Soaked Raisins

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
11/4 cups sugar, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup rum (optional)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Pour melted butter into large bowl then heat milk to warm in same saucepan.  Add milk to the melted butter.  Cool milk/butter mixture to warm (between 100 and 110 degrees) then add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar.  Let this yeast mixture sit until foamy, up to 10 minutes.  Add the the pumpkin, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Stir by hand or mix in stand mixer with dough attachment until combined.   Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead by hand or machine for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Put dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or towel. Allow to rise in warm draft free area until doubled in size (an hour to an hour and a half).  While dough is rising, soak raisins in rum in a small bowl if desired.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Mix the the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in another small bowl.  (If you choose to add rum soaked raisins, add them to the cinnamon sugar mixture.)  Spray the bottom of a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Punch down dough and pull off small spoonful size pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dip in melted butter.  Then roll each ball in cinnamon sugar mixture and put in bundt pan, covering the bottom with the small balls of dough.  When all the dough has been rolled in cinnamon sugar and placed snugly in the pan, cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes in pan then turn carefully onto wire rack or plate, then flip onto other plate or rack so bread holds its shape.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

This yummy bread recipe was not the only pumpkin inspiration I've had of late.  The very top picture is Rylynn looking all ready for Halloween with a cute shirt from her grandma and an adorable pumpkin hat.  I whipped up that hat last week and have made two more since for several friends who have kids Rylynn's age.   It's so cute and easy.  I found the directions through pinterest.com, on a blog titled "My Bountiful Life".   I linked her free pattern here. pumpkin hat pattern link here 

I couldn't post about all my fun pumpkin themed projects without putting in a picture of my two favorite pumpkins all dressed up in their Halloween costumes.  There is some debate between Richard and I about how exactly we came up with the idea to do slightly irreverent matching costumes for the girls.  I'm sure you can tell from the picture but we convinced Eyrleigh to be a scuba diver (anything but a princess!).  I found some great ideas...on pinterest...that involved her own black clothes, soda bottles, and duck tape.  She looks great, though I seriously doubt she'll wear the goggles over her eyes at all!  We found a infant shark costume at Old Navy for Rylynn and for my favorite part of the whole thing, I made Ry a little sign that says "Give my sister candy or I bite".  I posted this same picture on Facebook and everyone loved it!

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