Pumpkin Bread

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Introduction

Pumpkin bread is the quintessential fall treat. This recipe is easy to make, and it’s a great way to use up your leftover pumpkin puree. You’ll never buy store-bought pumpkin bread again once you’ve tried this one!

2 cups all-purpose flour

Flour is a powdery substance made from wheat, rye, oats, or other grains. It’s important to measure flour correctly because too much can make your baked goods dry and crumbly. To measure flour:

• Spoon the flour into a measuring cup in one quick motion (don’t tap the cup) and then level off with the back of a knife or straight edge.
• Tap it firmly on top to settle any clumps of flour down into the rest of the contents.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp baking powder

Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar and cornstarch. It causes baked goods to rise by reacting with liquid in the batter or dough.

Baking powder contains acid that reacts with alkaline ingredients like flour and soda (a base) to release carbon dioxide bubbles that make your cake or bread rise during cooking. The cooking process breaks down the acid, releasing carbon dioxide gas which helps your cake rise as it cooks in the oven.

The amount of baking powder you need depends on how much you’re making: For this recipe we used 1 teaspoon per loaf (3/4 cup). It’s important not to overdo it though! Too much will make your bread taste bitter or give it an unpleasant texture.

1 tsp baking soda

Baking soda is called a leavening agent because it helps to make your bread rise. The baking soda acts as a chemical reaction with the acid in the pumpkin, causing bubbles to form and release carbon dioxide gas. This causes the bread to rise.

The baking soda also helps neutralize the acidity of your pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin pie filling, which allows you to use less sugar while still getting all those sweet flavors!

2 tsp ground cinnamon

This is the same as baking powder, but in a finer form. The purpose of this is to help with browning and leavening.

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Nutmeg is a spice made from the dried kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg tree. It has a strong, sweet and aromatic flavor.

1/4 tsp salt

You can use the same amount of salt that you would normally add in your cooking. If you’re not sure about how much salt is right for your recipe, start by adding a little and then taste it before adding more.

Salt is an essential mineral that is needed by the body. However, too much salt can cause health problems like high blood pressure and stomach cancer. Salt is used to season food and can be found in many foods such as meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products.[1]

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Eggs are a good source of protein, so you can feel good about adding them to your bread. If you want to make sure the eggs are beaten well enough, pour them into another bowl first. Next, beat them until they are frothy and light. This can be done with either a fork or whisk. Then just pour them into the mix of flour and spices!

15 oz canned pumpkin puree (1 can) (not pumpkin pie mix)

To make pumpkin puree, you’ll need a sharp knife and a cutting board. Cut off the stem end of your pumpkin and slice it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then cut each piece into 2 or 3 wedges. Peel off any stringy bits from those wedges and cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place all of your pumpkin pieces in an 8-quart pot or Dutch oven; cover with water by about 2 inches; bring to a boil over high heat; lower heat to medium-low for about 20 minutes until fork tender (tender enough that you can pierce with ease). Drain well (you’ll have about 6 cups now), then transfer to blender along with 1 cup water; puree until smooth, adding more liquid if needed (should be like thick applesauce at this point). Refrigerate covered up to 3 days (although I doubt it will last that long).

To calculate how much canned puree to use when making this recipe: Measure out 15 ozs., then add another tablespoon or two if using fresh butter instead of margarine or shortening as called for here as these fats need more moisture added than margarine does so keep adding until dough looks moist enough but not sticky when kneading together before baking!

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

Brown sugar is the mixture of white sugar and molasses. It has a lower water content than white sugar, which means it can be used in recipes where you want to add moistness, such as cookies, cakes, or breads.

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk* (see note below)

• Sour milk is just regular milk that has been left out for a few hours. The bacteria in the air will create lactic acid, which gives the sour flavor.
• Buttermilk is created when butter is churned, and it’s essentially the liquid that remains in the butter after being churned. You can also use regular milk and add 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice to it—this will get you some of that buttermilk flavor as well!

6 Tbsp vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is the fat in this recipe. You can use any type of oil you want, but vegetable oil is the most commonly used. The amount of oil you use depends on your loaf pan: if you have a large one, use less; if you have a small one, use more. For example, if we have a 9×5 inch loaf pan (the standard size), we would pour in 4 cups of water and then add 6 Tbsp vegetable oil to it. If instead we have a smaller 8×4 inch loaf pan (which would be ideal for making pumpkin bread muffins), then we would only need 2 cups of water and 4 Tbsp vegetable oil since there’s less room in there!

The best part about baking breads like this one is that they’re so flexible—you can play around with different ingredients until your heart’s content! You could even omit some parts altogether or substitute them with something else entirely…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet!

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together sugar and oil until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed (be careful not to over-beat).
• Add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract; beat until smooth (1 minute). Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream on low speed until just combined (do not over mix; batter should be lumpy). Gently fold in chocolate chips using wooden spoon or rubber spatula (do not use electric mixer for this step; you want some flaked pieces of chocolate left in your finished bread).
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 60-65 minutes.* Cool completely before slicing into 1-inch slices! Enjoy!

Conclusion

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes.