How to make Pumpkin Nut Bread

One of my favorite and most popular quick breads I make is Pumpkin Nut Bread. This recipe contains chopped walnuts and dried dates which are optional but highly recommended. Pumpkin Nut Bread is sugar and spice and everything nice. This recipe makes 3 large loaves of moist and flavorful pumpkin bread. This bread gets better the next day. It's great plain or spread with cream cheese. Pumpkin bread makes a great gift, I can make 9 mini loaves with the small aluminum foil pans rather than the 3 large loaves. After letting the loaves cool completely, package with a decorative plastic food bag, gift tag, and a ribbon. I've even shipped this bread express mail and it shipped very well. This recipe freezes well for eating later.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2/3 cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree or 2 cups (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup chopped dried dates

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Grease pans with a coating of shortening and a small amount of flour to coat. Tap out excess flour.

3. In a large bowl, combine oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.

4. Combine 2/3 cup hot water with the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup; stir into the batter carefully. It will be very thin.

5. Stir in pumpkin and flour. Fold in walnuts and dates. Divide the batter among prepared pans.

6. Bake in 3 greased 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pans or 9 mini loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes for large loaves. Bake 30-40 minutes for mini loaves. To test, insert toothpick in center. If it is clean, it's done.

7. Let bread cool in pans for 10 minutes, then release. If you plan on giving the bread with the foil pans, let cool in pan.

Tips & Warnings

• The mini loaf pans used in this recipe are 5 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 2 in. The Hefty EZ loaf pans for the 3 in. by 5 in. recipes is the size I use.

[lynsuz12]

on 10/9/2009 Right on time. Pumpkin in the garden. Pumpkin Nut Bread sounds good to me. make great office gifts. Thanks. 5*

[sunnystarr]

on 2/13/2009 Yummm yummmm pumkin nut bread :) Thanks for sharing I will have to do this one!

[bake4u]

on 5/30/2008 Pumpkin bread is delicious, i make mine at christmas time and give for presents, i also add raisins in mine too.......