Pumpkin Bread

There are two ways I could spin this story.

Pumpkin bread is a holiday tradition in my family. My mom (who is not the primary cook in our family, though she certainly can cook!) ALWAYS makes it. On the top of the recipe, it indicates that the loaf is my brother's favorite. The original copy got so dirty that we had to retype it.

I am making this bread because it's a tradition. My mom's traveling, but I still love the smell emanating from the oven.

She used to step in halfway through the sifting and help out my aching wrists. It was always my job to flour the pans. We never ever used a stand mixer--always handheld.

The other half of the story is that I'm pretty sure the recipe came from the label off a can of pumpkin.

And, our kitchen's a mess.

But it's still our family recipe.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread


3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable (canola) oil
4 eggs
1 can (16 oz...though now they're 15 oz! What's happening to the world? I just used the 15 oz can anyways) pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2/3 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour 2 9x5 inch loaf pans. 
2. Cream sugar and oil together. Mixture will be grainy.
3. Add eggs and pumpkin, mix well.
4. Sift together dry ingredients in another bowl.
5. Add dry ingredients alternately with water, mixing as you go.
6. Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 1h 20 or until a skewer inserted a few places comes out clean.
7. Let stand 10 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely on wire racks.

Yield 2 loaves.