Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

A no-frills favorite that’s easily adaptable to your tastes

Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite things about fall—even though if we’re being logical, you could actually make pumpkin bread any time of the year, but we’re not always logical when it comes to delicious fall-scented treats!

As a pumpkin bread aficionado, I’ve tried all kinds of different recipes, from fancy ones to ones with golden raisins and nuts to ones with chocolate chips. (If pumpkin bread with chocolate chips is your thing, please enjoy. . . it’s just not my favorite.) What I’ve realized from all these recipes is that for me, the type of pumpkin bread I enjoy most is the simplest, most basic recipe. You can add in raisins or nuts if you want, but you don’t have to—and it’s perfectly delicious either way.

So, with no further ado, I give you my basic pumpkin bread recipe, shared by my mom in a cookbook created in my small hometown. I hope it becomes one of your fall favorites, too!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

• 3 ⅓ cups flour

• 3 cups sugar

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1 tsp nutmeg (I omit)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix, 15 oz.)

• 1 cup raisins (you can omit if you prefer)

• 1 cup nuts (also easily omitted)

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp baking soda

Pumpkin Bread Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cream sugar and eggs until well blended.

3. Add oil, spices, salt and baking soda. Mix well.

4. Fold in nuts and raisins if desired.

5. Pour mixture into two greased loaf pans. (Mine are about 9.5x2 inches.)

6. Bake at 325 degrees for about one hour, until center is set and toothpick inserted comes out clean. You know your oven, so you may need to bake a little more or less than an hour. My oven requires longer!

7. Enjoy!