DELICIOUS PUMPKIN BREAD

If it is Tuesday, that means I am off to Hillcrest Thift Shop to work a three-hour shift at the register on the lower level. It also means I have found something to make to share with the other volunteers downstairs. For this week, I found a recipe called Delicious Pumpkin Bread in a "new" Amish cookbook that my friend Janice found for me at an estate sale she went to when we were out of town. The cookbook is called Amish Cooking with 50 authentic Amish recipes. It is a beautiful large book with the recipe on the left side and a picture of the dish on the right side. It also has a picture of Amish and some aspect of their life with a caption. There are a number of recipes I am anxious to try.

Well, this recipe should also have had the word "moist" in it too. I think it is the best pumpkin bread I have ever eaten. It was a big hit at Hillcrest also. The platter was empty, except for a few crumbs, when my shift was over. 

I didn't get a chance to eat a piece at lunch and I couldn't wait to get home. The recipe said to slice and serve the bread with butter and that is exactly what I did when I got home. I heated the slice for 15 seconds in the microwave and then buttered one half....I was saving the other half for later, but when my husband got home and saw it, he picked it up and ate it before I got a chance to say anything. He said it was really good and asked me what it was. I told him pumpkin and he said it was really good, not strong as pumpkin bread usually is. I hadn't thought about it but he was right. It is so light, not heavy tasting at all like so many pumpkin breads. Definitely a keeper!

DELICIOUS PUMPKIN BREAD

1-2/3     cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4         teaspoon baking powder
1             teaspoon soda
3/4        teaspoon salt
1/2         teaspoon cinnamon
1/2         teaspoon nutmeg
1/3         cup shortening
1-1/3      cups sugar
1/2         teaspoon vanilla
2            eggs
1             cup mashed pumpkin
1/3         cup water
1/2         cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a regular (9 x 5 x 3 -inch) loaf pan. I used my homemade Pan Grease.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. (I sifted the mixture twice.) Set aside.

Cream the shortening, sugar, and vanilla til smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Stir in the pumpkin.

Then add the dry ingredients alternately with the water, beating just until the mixture is smooth. Be careful not to overbeat. (I always do this in 3 - 2 steps...starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Since it said to be careful not to overbeat the mixture, I didn't scrape the sides of the bowls between each addition.)

Fold in the nuts.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan 

and bake for 45 to 55 minutes OR til done. (I had to bake mine 65 minutes.)

Let the bread cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes

before turning it out onto the rack to cool.





Once it is cool, store in a tight container. (I didn't get this far. You probably wont' either.)

Slice and serve this bread with butter. (Just what I did.Yum - my!) I know you wanted one more look, didn't you? !