Pumpkin Bread

If you haven't noticed, i'm following an ingredient theme here, for at least two posts. Love love love pumpkin. Yum! I had left over pumpkin puree from the pumpkin bars I made over the weekend, so last night I decided to use it to make some miniature pumpkin loaves. You can easily use this recipe for mini breads, or standard size will do. Topping with a little Brummel & Brown spread makes this an extra special treat. This recipe is definitely in my favorites, I hope you enjoy it!

Pumpkin Bread Extraordinaire
yields approximately 12 mini loaves (2 1/2-inch square pans)
This is 1-1/2 x the original recipe, if you decide to cut it down by one-third, use only one standard bread loaf pan.

Bread ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (bleached is fine)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/4 cup oil (vegetable, olive, or canola)
1/2 cup fat free yogurt
3 large eggs
6 Tbsp. water
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. allspice
optional - add 3/4 cup nuts of choice or 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour pans, set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a second larger bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, yogurt, eggs, water, and spices, whisk well. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, they should be 2/3rds full, do not over fill, as the bread will almost double in size. Bake for 25-35 minutes. This all depends on your oven temperature and the pans you use. If using a larger loaf pan, bake for 50-60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick until it comes out clean.
Cool in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes. Invert pans, be careful, and give the pan a shake until the bread falls out. Quickly turn the bread right side up and let cool completely.