Pumpkin Bread

What’s fall without pumpkin bread?  Seriously – if you don’t like pumpkin, sorry, but what is wrong with you?  If you’re not from New England, and you don’t like pumpkin, then you get a free pass.  I could literally eat pumpkin bread every day of the year, but I somehow hold off until the fall.  When I was in college, I looked forward from that finals week care package, filled with M&Ms, granola bars, and loaves of my mom’s pumpkin bread.

So here’s a slice of my home for you.  My mom’s delicious and not too-sweet pumpkin bread.  My sister is growing pumpkins this year, so I can’t wait to see what they are going to look like.  You can use fresh pumpkin, or from the can – your preference.  Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of nuts nor raisins in baked goods (except Hummingbird Cake), so throw a handful of raisins or walnuts into the mix if you prefer.

I made a few loaves for this post from some left over Pumpkin Bread Truffle batter – but you should be able to yield about 3-4 healthy loaves.  We I gobbled them right up.

[recipe]

Pumpkin Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
• 1 1/3 cup oats
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, you’ll want to mix all ingredients (flour through pumpkin) in a large mixing bowl. Add additional spices if needed.
3. To make the topping, combine oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in blender or food processor. Add butter and mix until it gets crumbly. Transfer to a small bowl.
4. Pour batter into a loaf pan about 2/3-3/4 of the way.
5. Scoop out topping mixture on top of the batter.
6. Place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes (or until your knife comes out clean). When it’s done, take out and let it cool off on wire racks.

[/recipe]