I don’t usually get my recipes from Slate magazine (although I do love you, Slate, and your brilliant founder Michael Kinsley, whose verbal sparring with Pat Buchanan on CNN’s Crossfire always brought such joy to my young heart. The rapport between Michael and Pat was something to behold; truly the golden age of cable television. Even though many people think Pat is a crotchety old racist dinosaur, and they may not be incorrect, there is still a part of me that will always adore him for the nightly entertainment he provided during his Crossfire years.). If Michael and Pat were my neighbors, I’d bake them each a loaf of this as a thank you.

I have already posted a very good pumpkin bread recipe, but this one is special since it’s made with one cup of pumpkin ale. The addition of a little beer gives this bread a lovely body and texture that’s different than a traditionally sweeter pumpkin bread and definitely worth trying.

Pumpkin-Beer Bread by L. V. Anderson, original recipe here
Yield: One 9-inch loaf (About 12 servings)
Time: 1¼ hours

Oil or butter for greasing the pan
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground allspice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin ale

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat (or in a medium bowl in the microwave). Remove from the heat. Stir in the pumpkin and brown sugar, then stir in the eggs. Finally, stir in the pumpkin ale. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, then transfer the batter to the greased pan.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool thoroughly, then slice and serve. (Leftover pumpkin bread can be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to a few days.)