Pumpkin Bread

It's fall and the chill is finally in the air here in New England. My dining room table and front door are decorated with leaves, pumpkins, and pinecones. But the house was lacking something...ah, yes- the smells of fall!! So tonight I decided it was time...time for what? Pumpkin Bread!

Pumpkin Bread
From Carrie's Sweet Life, originally AllRecipes

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose 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

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.



The Changes: I didn't have cloves so I added allspice instead. I only used 2 loaf pans that were a little bigger than the recommended size, but I overfilled them. This resulted in my bread needing 70 minutes to cook through.

The Verdict: If I wasn't in a hurry and trying to take it out of the pan before it was cooled, it would be great. Instead, the bottom stuck to the pan and the rest of the loaf came out. Not too bad, though. I will grease the bottom of the pan a bit better next time. However, the flavor was great!! The bread is moist and you can taste the pumpkin and all the spices!

I battled yeast and won!!

I made this bread about 2 weeks ago. In fact, we don't even have any left. But I have been slacking on my blogging. An even BIGGER but- This was my first time using yeast and making bread (thats not in the bread maker!!), so clearly it deserves a spot on my blog!!! Also- I am new to food photography, and the lighting in our kitchen leaves a lot to be desired, so please excuse my poor photos.

Anyway...a new (well if you can call getting it in March and opening in September new) Kitchen Aid mixer was calling my name from the upstairs closet, so I pulled it down into the kitchen. But what to make...well, I have some yeast. Let's try...bread!

Basic White Bread
Yields 32 servings (16 slices per loaf)
Recipe from Kitchen Aid

1/2 cup low-fat milk

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 packages active dry yeast

1.5 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl (I ran the outside of the bowl under the hot faucet). Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4.5 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 a cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place in greased 8.5x4.5x2.5 inch loaf pans. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 400F until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Viola!! Bread! Did I make mistakes while making this? Of course. And could it have been better? Yes. But did Hubbs love it? He did!! And I will make it again.