Cantaloupe Bread with Praline Glaze

This excellent cantaloupe bread is very moist and has the texture of pumpkin or zucchini bread. You can purée and freeze extra cantaloupe to make bread in the off-season.

2 cups white sugar
2 cups cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and puréed
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground ginger

Butter Pecan Sauce:
1⅔ cups brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Lightly grease and flour two 9x5” loaf pans.

Beat together sugar, puréed cantaloupe, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and ginger in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture into cantaloupe mixture until combined. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers of loaves comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make sauce: Combine brown sugar and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring at 1 minute intervals. Mix in pecans.

Pour sauce over warm loaves. Let cool for 1 hour before serving.

Makes 20 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: Calories: 366 | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 48g | Protein: 3