Pumpkin Bread

It’s that time of year that I begin baking for the holidays.

I bake for us and bake to share.

I had planned to bake pumpkin bread for the last two weeks, but being rather busy, at least I baked so I could share a loaf with our neighbors, Brian and Nina Cladoosby.

That way, they can offer a slice to their family and friends.

This particular day of baking, my busy schedule got ahead of me.

I took the bread out after one hour of baking.

The toothpick test revealed it was not done.

You push a toothpick into the center and pull it up.

If the batter sticks to the toothpick, it needs to be baked more.

I had to leave immediately.

I turned off the oven, put both loaves of pumpkin bread back in and left. I decided not to leave them out of the oven, for fear, the center would sink, leaving a failed baking.

I was home within the hour.

My experiment worked.

The toothpicks came out clean.

Plus they were easily removed from the glass bread pans, to cool.

Ingredients

White sugar, 3 cups

Oil, 1 cup

Eggs, 4

Pumpkin, 15 ounce can

White flour, 3 ½ cups

Salt, 2 teaspoons

Baking soda, 2 teaspoons

Baking powder, 1 teaspoon

Ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon

Ground allspice, 1 teaspoon

Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon

Ground cloves, ½ teaspoon

Water, 2/3 cup

Unsalted butter

Flour

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour the loaf pans.

Use a large bowl and mix the sugar and oil until completely combined.

You can use a wire whisk or mixing spoon.

Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Add the pumpkin and keep stirring until all is combined.

In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients.

Mix together with a whisk.

Add half the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.

Mix in thoroughly and add half the water, mixing it in.

Add the rest of the flour mixture, mixing in thoroughly, and the last of the water.

By now, you are stirring everything together slowly until well combined.

Pour half into one loaf pan and half into the other.

Bake for one hour and test for doneness.

If more baking time is needed, add another ten minutes, test and repeat until done.

An oil based bread is heavy and must be baked long enough to get the center totally baked.