Silicone Baking Molds & Pumpkin Bread

Living in sunny So Cal, sometimes innovation is required to feel the seasons coming upon us. I was in the mood for some fall this week, so I made some pumpkin bread. My friend is encouraging me to cut down on carbs (ugh!). I maintain that if there's pumpkin in it, it should count as a vegetable. Still, I tried to portion-control my fix by making little mini-loaves.

To my diet-conscious friend I must confess that I served these topped with caramel sauce, and accompanied by a tall glass of apple cider. The best flavors of fall, all together!

I pulled out a silicone baking mold I'd bought after the holidays last year, so I was using it for the first time.

I have other silicone molds that I've tried out once or twice in the past. This little snowman brownie was a treat for friends of mine last December. That experience taught me a few things about silicone....first, they stick. Badly. But Crisco really seems to help with that, though if you have lots of small features in the pan, they can be washed out by the oil....or it can flavor your dish in a negative way.

On the good side, I like silicone for holiday pans like this that I will only use once a year, as they smoosh for easier storage. This allows me to justify keeping pans for every holiday in the spectrum, which for space reasons I would otherwise have given away.

What do you think of silicone bakeware? Do you use it frequently? Share your kitchen experience in a comment on the blog.