Why yes, it is already time for another pumpkin recipe! This one is from The Heritage of Southern Cooking, by Camille Glenn. I don't have a photo of the cover because the book is actually packed away in a box right now. I have the recipe because my husband emailed a scan of it to me years ago, back when we were simply Internet friends. He claimed it was the best pumpkin bread ever, and I agree that it is.
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water, or more as needed
We actually use a full teaspoon of both cinnamon and nutmeg, to make the bread even more flavorful.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer or in a food processor. Add the eggs and continue to beat until the mixture becomes thick and smooth.
Sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add the flour, pumpkin, and water alternately to the creamed butter and eggs. Do not overbeat.
Spoon the batter into a lightly greased or foil-lined standard (9 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3-inch) loaf pan. Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 1 hour. When a skewer inserted into the center comes out dry, the bread is done.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to stand for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack.
Cool the bread thoroughly before slicing.
It's finally October! So why not have a recipe that involves pumpkin? Actually, I really love pumpkin so don't be surprised if I make a post in April with something pumpkin-y. This recipe is from Muffins by Elizabeth Alston, published in 1985. The original recipe includes almonds, but I don't care for nuts in bready or cakey things, so I left them out. I've written that part of the recipe in brackets.
[1/2 cup (1 1/4 ounces) sliced unblanched almonds]
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup plain pumpkin (half of a 1-pound can)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
I also included a dash of ground cloves. For the chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chips. They're larger than most chocolate chips, but they worked perfectly.
Heat oven to 350F. [Put almonds on a baking sheet or pie pan and bake about 5 minutes, just until lightly browned; watch carefully so almonds don't burn. (You can also toast them in a toaster oven.) Slide almonds off the baking sheet so they cool quickly.]
Grease muffin cups, or use foil or paper baking cups.
Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Break eggs into another bowl. Add pumpkin and butter, and whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips [and almonds].
Pour over dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened. This is the most important part of making muffins. You must never over-stir!
Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed and springy to the touch in the center. Turn out onto a rack to cool. Wrap in a plastic bag and keep for 1 or 2 days. I've had pumpkinbread and pumpkin muffins go wonky pretty quickly, so definitely try to eat them all within just a few days.
Delicious! This recipe was so easy and the muffins tasted amazing, so I'll definitely make these many more times in the future.
Sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add the flour, pumpkin, and water alternately to the creamed butter and eggs. Do not overbeat.
Spoon the batter into a lightly greased or foil-lined standard (9 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3-inch) loaf pan. Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 1 hour. When a skewer inserted into the center comes out dry, the bread is done.
Cool the bread thoroughly before slicing.
