Pumpkin Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

Thanksgiving morning is always a flurry of getting the turkey in the oven and preparing dishes for the big meal. Breakfast is usually an afterthought and ends up being toast or a bowl of cereal. This year, I'm making Pumpkin Banana Bread with Orange Glaze the day before, so we can cut a few slices to enjoy with eggs and fruit. 

This recipe is similar to the Great Harvest Pumpkin Bread Copycat I made last year, but uses up those bananas sitting on my counter that are too ripe for smoothies :) 

I hope you and your family enjoy a day filled with good food and great memories. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Pumpkin Banana Bread with Orange Glaze
A Bountiful Kitchen

3 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup Libby's pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 overripe bananas, peeled
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon half and half
dash of salt

Place the rack in the center of the oven, and generously grease and line the bottom of two loaf pans with parchment or wax paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place eggs in a mixing bowl. Beat for about 1 minute. Add sugar beat again for 1 minute. Add the oil, pumpkin, bananas and vanilla. Beat until all ingredients are incorporated.
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center of loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Remove from oven. Let sit for 5 minutes in pan. Loosen sides of loaf if necessary with butter knife. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.
Mix glaze with whisk. Place wire rack over a cookie sheet. Pour the glaze over the loaves and let any excess glaze drip onto the cookie sheet.
Yields 2 loaves

Tips:
-I make a liner for the loaf pan by placing parchment or wax paper under the pan and tracing around the bottom of the pan. Cut the paper on the line. Place the paper in the bottom of the loaf pan and spray sides of pan and bottom (on top of the paper liner) generously with cooking spray.
-I bake in 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 pans. When I place the batter in the pans, they fill the pans over 3/4 full. There is about a 1/2 - 3/4 inch space to the top of the loaf pan. This recipe will easily yield 3 smaller loaves. Adjust the baking time to 45 minutes then check to make sure loaf is set.

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My Mother in Law's Rolls (Doreen's Rolls)

My mother in law taught me how to make rolls when I was first married over 33 years ago. This recipe has been in my husbands family for years and is one of our kids' favorite! It is one of my favorite recipes because it calls for dried milk, which I store for emergencies. Doreen's Rolls have become legendary among our family and friends.
If you've never made homemade rolls, I highly suggest this recipe,  the dough is very soft and pliable and so easy to handle! They are the perfect shape for stuffing a bit of turkey and cranberry sauce inside for the best after Thanksgiving snack.

My Mother-in-Law's Rolls (Doreen's Rolls)
A Bountiful Kitchen

2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoons sugar

2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk

5 cups flour , approximately (plus more for rolling out)
1 teaspoon salt

cooking spray
melted butter, about 6 tablespoons

Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar in large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Let yeast bubble and rise for about 5 minutes. Whisk eggs, vegetable oil, additional 1 cup warm water and sugar into bowl with yeast mixture. Whisk in powdered milk.
Mix 4 cups of flour  and one teaspoon salt into the liquid mixture above until dough/batter is smooth. The mixture will be sticky. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough is to the barely not-sticky consistency. Usually this will total about 5-6 cups flour.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula or flexible dough scraper, and spray the sides of the bowl with vegetable oil spray, such as PAM.  Cover with plastic wrap or light towel. Set in warm place to rise for about 30-40 minutes.
When ready to roll out, melt butter in a bowl and grease one to two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. Set aside, close to where the rolls will be shaped.
Flour a clean surface (about 1/3 cup flour) and dump the dough onto surface.
Pat or roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.
Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut the rolls, as close together as possible.
Take the cut-out dough and dip half of one side of the dough into the melted butter.
Fold the dough to form a Parker house roll shape or a half-moon, stretching the dough a bit, so it won't come unfolded during the second rise.
Place the shaped dough onto the greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is shaped. let pan sit in warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center of oven.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until rolls are browned on bottom and top.
Serve warm with butter and jam.

Tips:
-I like to warm the bowl I am using to make rolls by running warm water over the outside of the bowl in the sink for a few seconds. Make sure to dry the bowl before using.
-The perfect temperature for water used with yeast is the same temperature you would use to bathe a baby! Not too warm, not too cold. If you remember this, you will not go wrong.
-Do not set the bowl you are using to make rolls on the counter top if it is stone of any type (including granite, quartz, marble). The stone naturally stays cold and will keep the rolls from rising properly.
-Heat a cup of water in the microwave for a minute. Remove cup. Then place a bowl of dough into the microwave to raise. The warmed water will have created a nice warm area for your dough to rise.
-You may place all of the rolls on one jelly roll size pan to bake, or you may space them farther apart on two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans.
-For make ahead, make the rolls to the shaping step. After the rolls are shaped and placed on the cookie sheets, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer immediately. On the day of baking, remove the pans from the freezer about 4 hours before serving. Let the rolls thaw and raise in a warm kitchen, covered with a light kitchen towel. When rolls are almost double in size, place in hot oven and cook. 

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