This One Put A Big Smile On Testers' Faces

DETROIT (Thursday, October 28, 2004) - 'Tis the season for anything pumpkin — from soups to seeds to muffins to bread. And while pumpkin bread would be a particularly apropos menu item at your Halloween dinner, it's also a good choice to serve right through Thanksgiving.

Our panelists visualize eating pumpkin bread morning, noon and night. "All these need is some nice, cold, unsalted butter and they're good any time of the day," says Kathy Ryan.

Both Therissa Allen and guest panelist Chris McClendon think pumpkin bread is especially good as a breakfast food. "I would eat it either hot or cold along with hot chocolate," Allen says. McClendon says it would be delicious served with fresh fruit.

In the "pumpkin bread as dessert" column, we have both David Lawrence and Lesia Golden. Lawrence says pumpkin bread "would be wonderful as dessert with a dollop of whipped cream that has been flavored with cream cheese and cinnamon along with a cup of hot ginger tea." Golden thinks "it would be good if you take a couple of slices and put pure vanilla ice cream in between."

Adds Chili Joe Wnuk: "People go nuts over pumpkin bread wrapped up as a gift for the holidays. We drizzle an icing glaze on top, heat it in the micro and serve it with cold milk."

We tasted six different pumpkin breads that the panel thought were all "fabulous." In the end, the sample from the Breadsmith in Bloomfield Hills received the highest score.

In a blind sampling, The Detroit News Taste Panel rated the following pumpkin breads on a score of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent.)

1. Breadsmith Pumpkin Bread (3592 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 248-540-8001)
Average score: 4.7
Price: $5.29 per loaf
Comments: Excellent. Terrific fresh pumpkin flavor. Lots of chopped walnuts throughout. The flavor lingers. It almost hugs your tongue. This would be good with cold butter. Slightly denser than the others. Very similar to zucchini bread. It's blazin'.

2. Dakota Bread Pumpkin Bread (6879 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 248-626-9110)
Average score: 4.5
Price: $4.95 per loaf
Comments: Perfect texture. Very good. Fresh, fresh, fresh pumpkin flavor. Sweet pumpkin taste. Beautiful orange-brown color. The slight brulee on the exterior lends good flavor. Has a strong taste and a lot of weight. Just slightly sweeter than some of the others.

3. (TIE) Hagelstein's Bakery Pumpkin Bread (800 S. Washington St., Royal Oak, 248-541-0566)
Average score: 4.4
Price: $3.60 per loaf
Comments: Wonderful. Very light and flavorful. Sweet but not too sweet. Smooth. Makes a nice dessert without feeling full. Very soft and moist. Lovely crunchy sugar on top. Delicious topping. Perfect spice balance. Melts in your mouth.

3. (TIE) Mary Denning's Cake Shoppe Pumpkin Bread (8036 N. Wayne Road, Westland, 734-261-3680)
Average score: 4.4
Price: $5.98 per loaf
Comments: Sweet and loaded with flavor. Very light. The spices are just right. Very moist. The tart cranberries are a nice foil for the sweet bread. Love the crunchy sugar topping. Texture is a bit mushy.

5. Holiday Market Pumpkin Bread (520 Lilley Road, Canton Township, 734-844-2200)
Average score: 3.9
Price: $2.99
Comments: Nice pumpkin taste. Deep spicy flavor and color. Dense, moist texture. Not as sweet as the others — great for pumpkin purists. If you like pumpkin, but don't have a real sweet tooth, you'll like this one.

6. Great Harvest Pumpkin Tea Loaf With Chocolate Chips (1137 S. Adams Road, Birmingham, 248-433-1833)
Average score: 3.8
Price: $6.00 per loaf
Comments: Fabulous. Very moist and lots of flavor. Chewy with a nice flavor. I love the addition of bittersweet chocolate chips — it's the perfect foil for the pumpkin flavor. Tastes all right, but the chocolate doesn't belong here. A bit dry.

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