This year, we decided to plant a garden again. We've had gardens in the past, but when we bought this house in 2017, we didn't plant one. Partially because there just isn't a good spot to put one, and partially due to the wide range of wildlife in the area. As anyone whose had a garden can tell you, waking up to find all of your hard work eaten by raccoons or deer is not a fun thing.
But, I missed having fresh homegrown produce. So, this spring, my husband built a garden on part of the field to the west of us. It's not real big, 40' x 50', but it yielded quite a bit of produce, especially considering the hot, dry summer we had.
One of the vegetables we planted was pumpkins. This weekend, I spent a good amount of time in the kitchen seeding, scraping and baking pie pumpkins to make puree to freeze and it made me hungry for fresh pumpkin bread. This recipe is a favorite. It is so good, I just know it will become a favorite for your family too.
It makes 2 loaves, so you can freeze one for later or give one away to a friend.
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 - 15 oz. can)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour (or use floured baking spray) two loaf pans. I've used 8" x 4" and 9" x 5" sizes, but you can use any size, just adjust the time accordingly.
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, baking soda and powder, and salt. Next add in the pumpkin and mix well. If the mixture looks curdled or grainy, that's okay - trust me.
Add in flour and mix until combined. Stir in nuts.
Divide mixture evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Put the pans on cookie racks to cool for about 10 minutes before turning the loaves out.
Cool completely before freezing. Will last in freezer for about three months.
If you try this, I'd love to hear what you think. Please drop a comment below, and if you like it, I'd appreciate it if you'd share this post. Thanks!
