Grandma's Pumpkin Bread

Just before Halloween we went pumpkin picking at a farm stand near the house. We let Bubba pick out a dessert (or pie) pumpkin, and a regular pumpkin that we carved for the porch. 

Now most people like to make pumpkin pie with these dessert pumpkins and I do like pumpkin pie, but my favorite is pumpkin bread, and it turns out it is Bubba's favorite too. With this one baking pumpkin we have made three loaves already and this fourth loaf will almost finish up the last of the pumpkin. 

(Oh no! We'll have to get another!)

First you want to cut open the pumpkin, take out the seeds and guts, split it in half, grease it with olive oil and bake it face down on a cookie sheet (also greased with olive oil, and a little water (1/2 cup) on it) for about 45 minutes at 350 or until you can stab a knife through the pumpkin shell easily.

Once it is cool, scrape the flesh out and mash it up, with a fork.

Now you are ready to make the pumpkin bread! 

So I will turn it over to my mom to describe her recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree (either from a fresh, roasted pumpkin, or canned 100% pumpkin)

1/4 cup oil (I used canola oil)

1 egg

about  1/2 cup water

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg and ground cloves

optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts-(I love them, but no one else in the family does)

In a medium bowl measure out all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, spices, sugars) and stir with a whisk to get out any lumps, especially the brown sugar.

In another medium bowl mix together all the wet ingredients: pumpkin puree (if the pumpkin puree is from a fresh roasted pumpkin, you might need to mash it with a potato masher first to make it smooth), egg, oil, water. 

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients and mix just enough so the batter holds together. 

May have to add a little more water, or not, depending on the consistency. 

Pour batter into a lightly oiled loaf or square 8x8" pan. 

Sprinkle top with a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon   

(I am pretty generous)

Here is a Cinnamon Sugar recipe (cause some people don't know):

Fill a jar 3/4 of the way with sugar, and the rest with cinnamon (I like it really cinnamony)

Then shake it up til mixed thoroughly. 

Done. 

Now you can make lots of yummy things.

Bake the bread at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Test with a toothpick before removing from oven to be sure it is bread all the way through and not bread and goo.

Bubba says, "Ah. Pumpkin Bread. The perfect post nap snack."

(Notice the crazy "bed-head"?)