Every year at the beginning of December, I help my cousin’s mother bake dozens of mini-loaves of pumpkin bread for the church’s gift baskets for the elderly in the community. You’d think I’d get tired of it, but it just makes me want to bake some more–for me! Whether you’re fixing holiday gift baskets to share, or just a sweet, warm treat to enjoy at home, pumpkin bread, especially with fresh pumpkin puree, is irresistible.
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 2 loaves or 15 mini-loaves
Cook Time: 1 hr (reg loaves) or 25 min (mini-loaves)Ingredients
2-2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup shortening
3-1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup nuts
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup water
2 cups raisins
Directions
Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin, and water. Mix thoroughly. Stir in flour and the rest of the dry ingredients then add the nuts and raisins. Spoon into greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350-degrees, one hour for standard-size loaves or twenty-five minutes for mini-loaves. Makes two standard-size loaves or fifteen mini-loaves.
*For holiday pumpkin bread, press a candied cherry into the top of each loaf before baking, and use 2 cups raisins and candied fruit, mixed, to the batter, instead of just raisins.
Categories: Breads, Gift Basket Goodies, Holiday, Vegetable Breads
Tags: Christmas, Thanksgiving
Submitted by: suzanne-mcminn on June 7, 2010
Wendy says:
Very easy to make, I made 2 loaves–LOVE IT. This is much easier to make than my recipe for Pumpkin-Oatmeal
Cookies. And the house smells great. You could even put so cream-cheese frosting with chopped walnuts in the frosting on it if you wanted to. Hmmmm…going to have to compare my cookie recipe with it to get the oatmeal in the bread too. (The cookies are very cake/bread like)
On October 30, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Darlene in North GA says:
I really dislike the taste of cloves. I’m making this today and subbing out 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg and ginger (which is what I sub out when I make pumpkin pie!)
On November 13, 2012 at 8:11 am
cityMousE says:
I made this last night. It turned out pretty good but…. it didn’t rise very much. I wonder if my baking soda is dead. Hmmm. But it tastes great! I did the two loaves and perhaps overbaked it a little – it was not done at the 60 minute mark so I went another 7 minutes. I will try it again though!
On November 14, 2012 at 10:34 am
cityMousE says:
By the way, I took a loaf into work today with some cream-cheese icing on it, and everyone loved it and there wasn’t a crumb left when I came back in the room! I will definitely make it again but I think next time I will try soaking the raisins in a little rum (yum) and maybe adding more spice as I do like a spicy cake. You know, with more added dried fruits, this would make a great, moist, tasty fruitcake! =D Thanks Suzanne!
On November 15, 2012 at 12:29 am