When I first started cooking, the first effort was just that – a rough, initial effort to make something edible. If things went awry, it was helpful to have ingredients in reserve. So I got in the habit of stockpiling my cooking ammunition. If a recipe called for a cup of something combustible, I tried to have an extra cup (or two) on hand.
But as my learning curve has progressed, the first effort – always to my pleasant surprise – has increasingly produced exactly what I would want from the recipe. Nonetheless, I still like to have my extras around. Between this impulse, and my penchant for underestimating my yields, I can end up with lots of leftovers.
A prime example would be my pumpkin puree. To be safe, I bought two pumpkins. But when the puree, and then the pancakes, proceeded flawlessly, I found myself sitting on 5 1/2 cups of puree.
Hence, pumpkin bread.
Pumpkin Bread
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 60 minutes
YIELD: 2 loaves
Recipe from my friend, Michelle.
WHAT TO GRAB:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
½ teaspoon black walnut flavoring (liquid)
2 cups of pumpkin puree (recipe here)
HOW YOU DO IT:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line two bread loaf pans with parchment paper. Grease both the pans and the parchment paper with vegetable oil.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
3. In another large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, water, black walnut flavoring, and the pumpkin puree.
4. Working in batches, whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning them out to a wire rack to cool completely.
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