Pumpkin Bread

I decided to use my pumpkin puree to make pumpkin bread! I’ve been working all day every day this week, and while I’d much rather be at home watching movies in my pajamas, my consolation prize has been pumpkin bread and hot coffee in the mornings. This recipe is very simple and almost impossible to mess up. The spices can be adjusted according to your taste; I added a lot because I love the combination of cinnamon and warm flavors like cinnamon and clove.

Flour, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  Woah baby!

Flour, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Woah baby!

To make this tasty bread, you’ll need:

  • 2 C sugar
  • 3.5 C flour (I used half whole wheat and half unbleached all purpose with very tasty results)
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 2 t baking soda
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 t cloves
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1 t nutmeg
  • 1 t ginger
  • 1/2 C oil (applesauce will work as a lighter alternative here, if you have it on hand.  I didn’t.)
  • 2.5 C pumpkin (or butternut squash!)
  • 4 eggs
Wonderful and fluffy homemade pumpkin puree.

Wonderful and fluffy homemade pumpkin puree.

Preheat oven to 325°.  Mix up the first nine ingredients (from ginger up) in a large mixing bowl.  Combine the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, and pumpkin) in a smaller bowl and add them to the dry.  Mix thoroughly and pour into two greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until loaves are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.  So simple!  This recipe makes two generous loaves, so brew some coffee and invite some friends over.

Plenty to share, so you better!

Plenty to share, so you better!

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The Best Banana Bread of All Time

I feel very confident that this is the only banana bread recipe I will ever use or need to use. I’ve had it so long I don’t remember where I got it (my grandmother? my neighbor? my aunt?), and it really is a breeze to make. Maybe it’s not the best thing in the world for me, but I can name all of the ingredients and it’s a great way to use up really ripe bananas.

So ripe I made sure to check them for maggots first.

So ripe I made sure to check them for maggots first.

To make this delicious bread, you’ll need:

  • three large, ripe bananas (the riper the better)
  • 2 C self-rising flour
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1/2 C oil
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°.  In a smallish bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.  In a mixing bowl, stir the flour and sugar together. (At this point, my mother has taught me to put a little flour on my face to make it seem like I’ve been working a lot harder than I actually have.)  Then add the bananas, oil, and eggs and mix well.  At this point, feel free to fold in nuts, chocolate chips, or anything else your heart desires!  Pour mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for one hour, or until golden brown.  Serve with coffee and watch your friends and family swoon.  This bread is great hot, and it’s equally great cold the next day as breakfast (if there’s any left, which there isn’t around here).

They should look like this when you're done with them.

They should look like this when you're done mashing them.

This is what the perfect loaf of banana bread looks like.

This is what the perfect loaf of banana bread looks like.

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Berry Zucchini Bread

I had a few zucchinis hanging out in the fridge just begging to be turned into something delicious before they became mush. Zucchini is my favorite summer squash because it can be used in so many ways. I love it in savory dishes, but I tend to use it more in sweet breads because it adds so much fiber and moisture.

Shredded zucchini--a raw ingredient that can be turned into so many different, delicious things.

Shredded zucchini--a raw ingredient that can be turned into so many different, delicious things.

I used grist.org’s Blueberry Zucchini Bread recipe, which I typically follow very closely because it comes out perfect every time.  Today, however, I didn’t have fresh blueberries on hand so I used a frozen mixed berry blend I had in the freezer.  To make this, you’ll need:

1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (I used about three medium sized zukes)
1 1/4 cups frozen mixed berry blend (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
2 ungreased loaf pans
Preheat oven to 350°.  In a smaller mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together with a fork and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the three eggs until they’re all yellow and the yolks and whites indistinguishable.  Add the sugar, then beat again until everything is combined.  Add the oil and vanilla and beat until combined (1 cup sounds like a lot of oil, but keep in mind this recipe makes two loaves of bread).  Next, add the grated zucchini and mix well.  Pour half of the flour  mixture into the wet mixture and mix well.  Once everything is evenly distributed, add the remaining flour mixture.  Again, mix until everything is combined.  Fold in the fruit.  (The original recipe calls for fresh blueberries.  I used a frozen mixed berry blend because it’s what I had on hand, but any combination of fresh or frozen berries should work fine here.)  Distribute the batter evenly between the two loaf pans and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until they are golden.  To be safe, start checking them around 45 minutes–when a toothpick or fork inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, you know they’re ready.  Let them cool for five to ten minutes, but cut them while they’re still pretty hot because they’re wonderful with a generous pat of melty butter on top.
Full of fruit and fiber!

Full of fruit and fiber!

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