Favorite Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

I've been reading a lot of posts on Facebook about people baking pumpkin bread.  It seems like it is a favorite thing to bake at this time of year.

Since so many people are baking it, I assume everyone has their own favorite recipe.  Or they are just using a boxed mix, and I am not even going to mention how I feel about that.

Instead, I am going to share my favorite pumpkin bread recipe with you.  It is the one my mom has been making for years.  Like 40 years.  It has stood the test of time.  

One of the reasons it was a favorite in our family was that it doesn't have any dairy in it.  My brother is allergic to dairy and that left him out of a lot of desserts.  When we'd go out for ice cream, he'd get a plain cone.  Poor guy.

But this bread he could have.  

And when I was breast feeding my second son and couldn't have dairy because it made him sick, this bread was a favorite of mine.

The lack of dairy doesn't make this cake dry or tasteless.  In fact, I notice a lot of quick breads use oil instead of dairy.  It is moist and light and the addition of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg give it a very nice, spicy flavor.

It is just right for breakfast, a mid morning snack, an afternoon snack with tea or for dessert with coffee.

Really, you just need to whip up a batch--it doesn't take long--and enjoy some tomorrow.

Find the recipe at the bottom of post.

Here are a few notes first.

For the first time, I changed my mom's recipe and added something new.

Chocolate chips.

It was a rip roaring success.

I totally recommend it.

See?

I usually make the bread in one loaf pan and the rest in muffin tins.  I like the portability of muffins and being able to give the kids a muffin and not cut a piece off the loaf.  If you don't understand why that is important, you probably don't have kids.

But I also love to make quick bread and give them away.  I found the perfect tin for this a few weeks ago.  It makes 8, individual mini loafs.  They are so cute.

Also, they are perfect for giving away.  I can always think of someone who'd like a fresh from the oven loaf of goodness.
We wrapped ours up in parchment paper and a cute ribbon and gave them to some neighbors.  The ones who collected our mail for us while we were on vacation, even though we forgot to ask them to, and the other neighbors who just had a baby.

Hope you are now inspired to bake up a batch yourself.

Here's the recipe.

Lillian's Famous Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 325

Gather ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups pumpkin (I use canned, but want to try the real deal this year)

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips optional

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and oil

Add eggs, one at a time

Add pumpkin

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and all spices.

Add to wet mixture and stir until just combined.

If using, stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake for about an hour or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

If baking in muffin tins or mini loaf pans, bake 20-30 minutes and check often.

Enjoy your baking and your bread.

Love from,

Greta