Pumpkin Bread

If you can take the beautiful aromas of Fall and put in food you would have this bread. This pumpkin bread is easy to make and tastes great warm, toasted or with a cream cheese frosting for a dessert.

Since this recipe is easy and the smell is so delicious, I make it often when the weather starts to get cooler. (although this year we seem to have the endless Summer in NJ) One thing I do is buy canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling) when it goes on sale towards the end of the Summer. By the time I'm ready to start baking pumpkin bread, my pantry has a number of cans ready to go.

Let's get baking, you'll need:

Sift together: Bake: 350 degrees Time: 60 mins

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp double-acting baking power

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cream in a large bowl:

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup butter

2 eggs

Add:

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/3 cup milk (alternating with dry ingredients)

1 tsp vanilla

Alternate dry ingredients with the milk into the creamed pumpkin mixture. I like to add 1 cup raisins and fold in completely before pouring batter into a greased loaf pan. Years ago I received a beautiful cast iron pumpkin loaf pan that has decorations of pumpkins built in the pan. One of the more expensive kitchen stores carries this pan but I've seen it recently at Marshalls for half the price. You know I love a sale!

Bake the pumpkin bread for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (no batter is seen on it).

Allow the bread to cool before slicing with a saradid knife. This bread freezes well and you can defrost at room temperature for a few hours.

Make a few loaves of pumpkin bread and share them with friends. To warm up the bread at a friend's house, wrap it in foil and put in the warm oven (325 degrees) for 15 mins. Now you have shared the pumpkin bread and filled their house with the fragrance of Fall spices.

Enjoy and share your comments or photos.