Pumpkin Bread

To get in the holiday spirit, I decided to try out a pumpkin bread recipe. This has to be my favorite recipe! I even managed to carry a loaf onto a plane to give to my parents in Dallas TX for them to try, but it only made it as far as my sister's house in Tucson AZ. At least someone got to enjoy it! This recipe makes two loaves. 


Ingredients: 
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (found at local grocery store-albertsons) 
4 eggs 
1 cup cooking oil- I think I used canola oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups flour 
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger


Recipe: 
Before you begin, preheat the oven to 350. Next, take your loaf pan (I had two 9x5 inch loaf pans) and grease/Pam the inner sides and heavily flour. To do this, put a large fistful of flour in the pan, rest it on its side, and tap until the flour is in a single unclumped layer. Turn to a different side and repeat. 


Next, use a fairly large sized cooking bowl and mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, and sugar. To blend the ingredients well, try stirring after each ingredient is added. In a DIFFERENT bowl, add flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir until well blended. Take the dry ingredients and mix it into the larger (by now a orange) liquid ingredients bowl. When the mixture is well blended, pour the ingredients into the floured pans. 


The bread will rise, so only fill the pan 3/4th of the way. Place the bread in the center of the oven, and bake for about 50 minutes. Don't trust my timing too well though, I've  learned through experience that ovens take different times to heat up. Keep an eye on the bread (but try not to open the oven too often), if the outside of the bread starts browning too fast, lower the temperature. The ultimate test to see if the bread is ready is to stick a fork into the loaf. If dough sticks to the prongs of the fork, it needs more time. Even though you want to immediately eat all of it, try to let it cool before you slice. Serve with a cold glass of milk or hot tea! 
Side note: next time I might try adding walnut

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