Well-spiced Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 whole large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup chai tea or water
  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup chopped toasted pecans (also consider walnuts or pepitas)
  • 1 cup dried cranberries, optional

Instructions

Are you bored of pumpkin recipes yet? Me neither. Friends, henceforth the fall of 2008 shall be known as the Squash-tastic Pumpksplosion Event at FATM. So. Here's the pumpkin bread.

Yields two 9"x3" loaves. (can very easily be halved.)


  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
  2. Prepare two 9" x 3" loaf pans.
  3. Whisk together flours, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  4. Beat together sugar and oil until well blended.
  5. Add eggs, vanilla, and chai (or water — the chai is just a way to squeeze in more flavor).
  6. Beat until mixture is even and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the beater as necessary.
  7. Add flour mixture all at once. Stir gently until just mixed.
  8. Fold in pumpkin puree until uniform.Stir in nuts or seeds, and cranberries, if you like
  9. .Divide batter between the loaf pans and bake, about one hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf emerges clean.
  10. Cool on a wire rack about ten minutes, then remove bread from the pans and cool completely before slicing or wrapping.