Love Potion: Pumpkin Lavender Bread

The rumor is that Pumpkin + Lavender is an aphrodisiac. I’m not so sure if it is true, but the rumor definitely got a lot of tasters lining up!

This recipe is super easy. Though my secret was hand making the lavender sugar, the night before.

Ingredients:

• *3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup from whole wheat pastry flour)
• *2 cups lavender sugar **recipe below**
• *1 teaspoon salt
• *2 teaspoons baking soda
• *1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• *2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• *1 15-ounce canned pumpkin
• *2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• *3 eggs, slightly beaten
• *extra dried lavender sugar crystals, for dusting

Instructions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. 2. Grease well, two 9” by 5” loaf pans.
3. 3. In a large bowl, with fork, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
4. 4. Add remaining ingredients and mix just until blended.
5. 5. Pour batter into pans.
6. 6. Sprinkle some dried lavender and sugar crystals on top
7. 7. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. 8. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on racks.

Lavender Sugar

(These two photos we graciously taken by Martina Fugazzotto)

Ingredients:

• *3 Cups of Sugar (1/2 cup separated)
• *1/2 cup of dried Lavender

Instructions:

1. 1. Place 1/2 cup of sugar and lavender in a mortar an pestle
2. 2. Grind until lavender is combined and aromatic
3. 3. Return lavender to 3 cups of sugar and let it sit at least over night.