Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere

Pumpkin is a family nickname for our cutest members.  We were all the cutest at one point but, frankly, we all aged out.  Except for our dogs.  Our dogs are always pumpkins.

Sometimes originality is overrated - it's oh so typical to have a pumpkin recipe during the fall but it's oh so good. So enjoy going with the crowd and enjoy this recipe. 

Trust me on spices and don't use a pre-made pumpkin pie spice for this bread. Or for anything really! Buy the cloves and ginger (I'm assuming you already have cinnamon). We complain every season about then having cloves and ginger in our spice cupboard for the rest of the year, yet by the time we need it to make bread and pies for next season, it's gone bad OR has somehow been used. (Ginger crisis of Christmas 2010 for example. Disaster narrowly averted by less-old ginger procured from Nonnie's spice collection.) Plus the pre-made pumpkin pie spices usually have nutmeg in them, and nutmeg is gross. Truth. 

**Update - I found a pumpkin pie spice I really like and Penzy's.  I used it fall of 2012 and the bread came out great.

 

The recipe below makes 4 loaves of bread. Don't even bother trying to half the recipe. Just don't. If by some chance of fate your entire social network is away and you have left over bread, then just freeze it. To pay homage to Steel Magnolias it "Freezes Beautifully".

Pumpkin Bread

2 Cups Granulated sugar

2 Cups Dark brown sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Unsweetened applesauce

6 Large Eggs

2 16 oz cans Solid packed pumpkin (not the seasoned or pie stuff, just plain.  2 15 oz cans is ok, too)

2 Tsp Ground cloves

1 Tbl Ground cinnamon

2 Tsp Ground ginger

2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (I usually throw in a little more b/c I like vanilla!)

6 Cups Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.   Slightly different sized pans are okay.
 

Beat sugars and oil in a large LARGE bowl to blend. Mix in eggs, pumpkin, applesauce, and vanilla.

Sift flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture 1 cup or so at a time. (Apologies for needing two bowls, but cleaning up a bowl that just had the dry ingredients in it isn't too bad.)

 

Pour into prepared loaf pans. 

 

Bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  We usually rotate the pans about half way through and end up taking it out about 5 minutes early b/c we like it really dense.  We also just let it cool in the pans.

Remember, makes FOUR loaves.