Pumpkin Mochi Bread with Black Sesame Swirl

Preparation

Prep loaf pan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 5x9 loaf pan with oil.

Brown butter

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter to the pan and stir frequently as it starts to melt and bubble. Look for little brown specks to start to appear and the color to change from yellow to a light amber, 3 to 5 minutes. Once it’s lightly browned, remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof container to cool.

Mix wet ingredients

In a mixing bowl, add browned butter along with mashed pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, almond butter, and maple syrup. With a whisk, mix everything together until smooth.

Mix dry ingredients, make batter

In separate mixing bowl, whisk together Mochiko sweet rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, kosher salt, and cinnamon until combined. Slowly pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, whisking while pouring to combine until the batter is smooth. Pour batter into the greased 5x9 loaf pan.

Make black sesame swirl

With a spice grinder or mortar in pestle, finely grind black sesame seeds. (If you don't have either of these, pour sesame seeds into a plastic bag and pound the shit out of them with a rolling pin, it's cathartic!) Pour ground sesame seeds into a small mixing bowl along with maple syrup and kosher salt. Mix until smooth and thick like caramel. Add small dollops of the black sesame mixture throughout the top of the batter. Stick the tip of a chopstick into the top and drag it through the batter in a circular, swirling motion (almost like figure 8's or waves).

Cook mochi bread

Bake in the oven for 1 hour until the top has slightly risen and browned. To check for doneness, stick a toothpick into the center and it should come out completely clean. If there's still wet batter, continue to cook and check every 5-10 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. Once cooked through, wait 5-10 minutes for it to cool, then carefully flip the bread out of the loaf pan and place onto a wire rack or cutting board. Cool for at least another 30 minutes until the bread has set. Once cool, cut into slices and serve. Eat fresh within 1-2 days, otherwise, store fresh slices in the freezer and reheat with a damp paper towel in the microwave.