Pumpkin Bread

Sometimes you want pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl, and sometimes, you just want straight pumpkin bread. I looked at many recipes before deciding on the one from the blog So Tasty, So Yummy. Her bread seemed to have all the qualities I wanted: moist, sweet, and spicy. I was not disappointed!

She didn't specify a size for the loaf pans, so I bought the biggest foil loaf pans I could find, which were 2-lb capacity, measuring 8 ⅜ inches by 4 ⅛ inches. The recipe below filled three of those size pans. I wrapped two loaves in plastic and placed them in the refrigerator — I slice as needed, and warm it for 15 seconds in the microwave. I wrapped the third in a double layer of plastic wrap and froze it. 

Pumpkin Bread
From So Tasty, So Yummy

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups (14 ⅞ ounces) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups (17 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ⅔ cup water
• 2 cups (19 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray loaf pans with non-stick spray. 
2. Combine first seven ingredients (up to and including cloves) in a large mixing bowl. 
3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs lightly until combined. Add the remaining ingredients (oil, applesauce, water, and pumpkin) and mix well. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients, and stir just until evenly mixed (do not over-mix, or bread will be tough). 
5. Divide the mixture evenly among the pans. Place pans on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake 50 to  55 minutes.