Pumpkin Bread

Hi Everyone,

This pumpkin bread is something my Mom has been making for years - it's absolutely delicious. It originally came out of one of our church recipe books that you publish each year. You will absolutely love this bread, and it makes great gifts. It's also a wonderful way to make your house smell amazing! This will make 2 loaves, so if you only need 1, just halve the recipe (or you can freeze the other loaf). Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin or 1 16oz can of pumpkin

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

2/3 cup water

1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the sugar, oil, and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. I actually just whisked this and did not use a blender. Stir in the pumpkin. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture. Add the water and nuts (if using) and mix well. Spoon the batter into 2 well-greased 9-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes (or until a toothpaste comes out clean!). Let cool and then wrap in plastic wrap to keep moist.