Pumpkin Bread

I had the pleasure of spending Thanksgiving with my lovely godson in Boston 2 years ago. His father is my mother’s brother and mum and I spent a week in one of my favourite places with family, catching up and of course, shopping til we dropped! It was probably just as well that the shops were closed on Thanksgiving itself.

A bit like a mini Christmas day, Thanksgiving is about family, eating, watching TV, eating some more and then when all the food has been eaten, picking at some left overs. It was here that I first experienced this delicious pumpkin bread. It is so simple to make and is moist and full of flavour. With a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, it is warming and is great with a cup of tea. I have to say that for me it is very much a treat, but my relatives eat it with Thanksgiving dinner. With the turkey. And the stuffing and the gravy. I must say that I found this a little weird.

For the canned pumpkin, I make all my excuses and take a trip to the wonder that is Fallon and Byrne in Dublin, which stocks a lot of ingredients (like canned pumpkin) that can’t be found in your regular supermarket.

To make the bread, preheat your oven to 180C and grease and flour 3 loaf tins. Alternatively, you can use pre-greased loaf liners which, I have to admit are great. My pet hate is having to grease tins so I take the lazy way out!

1 Cup Vegetable Oil, 3 Cups Sugar, 2 Cups Wheat Flour,                                                                                              1.5 Cups Plain Flour, 4 Beaten Eggs, 1 Can of Pumpkin (I use the American brand Libby’s),                                                              Two Thirds a cup of Water, 1.5 tsp salt, 2 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. In a second bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, and water. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and bring the mixture together. Turn out into the loaf tins and bake for an hour. Check the loaves are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, your bread is done.

If you find that you have too much, or can’t quite bear to part with two of the loaves, you can freeze them for later.

Enjoy,

Orls xxx

P.S We made the first of our 8 or so Christmas cakes at the weekend. The house was like a christmas market with smells of cinnamon, mixed spice and fruit that had been soaking in booze for the past 6 weeks. I believe fermented is the word. Recipe will follow shortly!