Pumpkin Bread

This will be the last of the pumpkin recipes...at least for now. I had a bit of a pumpkin baking outburst this past week, but I have officially used up all the pumpkin in my possession and will try to find new ingredients for you in the near future.

But for now, I give you the spiced, the delicious, the moist, the buttery (and yes, the slightly orange) pumpkin bread!!

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• You will need the following (note: ingredients modified based on recipe reviews):
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• Bread:
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping (optional):

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift your dry ingredients (i.e. spices, flour, salt, baking soda) together in a medium bowl.

Next, mix your wet ingredients (i.e. pumpkin, sugars, oil, applesauce, water, eggs) in a separate, large bowl. Once all ingredients are well-mixed, add in dry ingredient mix a little at a time. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, taking care to not over-mix the bread dough.

Once everything is well-incorporated, pour the mix into three 7x3 pans (I only have a 9x5 and came out with enough for two loaves). Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the dough comes out clean.

Now, you can either stop there (the bread is still amazing by itself), or you can pour a sugary/buttery topping over the bread (it makes it a bit sweeter and more dessert-like and is delicious). If you do decide to add the topping, poke holes all over the tops of the loaves while the bread is still warm. Mix butter, sugar, and cinnamon together and pour over the top of the bread. Serve warm, and enjoy!