Pumpkin Bread

First of all, am I the only person who cannot bake neatly? I don't know what my deal is, but I always seem to make a serious mess of myself and my kitchen whenever I'm baking anything. I blame the flour. It is an imperfect substance.


Anyway, this disaster of a kitchen last night had a purpose: One of my co-workers and his wife just had their first baby, a little girl, and his first day back to work was today. I remember very clearly what those first weeks were like with a newborn in the house, and the last thing I felt like doing was cooking. Joe and I relied on food from the neighbors, meals I'd frozen for us, and take-out for a good month or so after Andrew was born. So I decided to make some food for them to enjoy. I made our family's favorite comfort food casserole, some insanely delicious brownies (someone made brownies for me after Andrew's birth, and they were all I wanted to eat), and some pumpkin bread.

The pumpkin bread was a new recipe, which was taking a risk, but it turned out wonderfully. This is one of the most moist and flavorful quick breads I've ever made. It has the perfect balance of spices and it's simply just delicious. I had a couple of pieces from the loaf we kept for ourselves for breakfast this morning, warmed up and slathered with tons of butter, and it was absolute Heaven. I hope the new family enjoys it as much as I am!

Pumpkin Bread

Source: Allrecipes

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans because I had them on hand)

1. Grease and flour three 7 x 3 inch pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Measure flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices into a large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, and nuts. Beat until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake for approximately 1 hour. (My loaves took a good hour and a half to cook, possibly a bit longer, so be sure to check yours to see if they're cooked through after an hour.)