pumpkin bread to start the celebration

I decided that baking in batches is the way to go, so I made pumpkin bread today, will make pumpkin pie tomorrow, and the actual feast (Cornish hens, not turkey) on Thanksgiving Day. This will save a lot of time scrambling in the kitchen and will keep the house from spontaneously combusting as the heat from the oven becomes unbearable. All in all, a good plan 🙂

This is my first time making pumpkin bread and I wanted a recipe that featured oats, so I was more than pleased when I found this one on MyRecipes: Kim’s Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (from Cooking Light).

I made a few adjustments to the original, so this is my version of the recipe:

Yield: 2 loaves, 12 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

1/3 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil *reduced the oil (next time I’ll try apple sauce, but I was all out)
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar * replaced white with brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg * the original didn’t call for it, but I like the extra spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans * no pecans, my gran can’t eat nuts
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in raisins and pecans.

Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on rack.

I haven’t had a slice yet–I’m waiting for breakfast–but it was wonderfully fragrant 🙂

This is what it looks like…