Bread – Page 3 – The Wicker Chicken

Recipe adapted from Pumpkin Bread by Betty Crocker

published by Golden Press, New York, N.Y.

There’s nothing like pumpkin bread for brunch or snack time to remind you of how wonderful autumn is. This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker cook book that I bought when Mark and I first got married, 30 years ago. Usually I make a double batch and bake half into muffins and the other half into loaves for the freezer. Be forewarned if you intend on making a double batch; this is a lot of batter. The bowl of my Viking stand mixer holds 7 quarts and a double batch of this recipe fills the mixer bowl 3/4 of the way full.

Five years ago Mark’s Mom and Dad came to visit and the guys built our deck. I knew Pepere meant business when he brought his very own jack hammer. Talk about messy, our house was a construction zone for about 5 days. However, the deck is a solid thing of beauty, and I’m so grateful to Pep for putting all his effort into its design and construction. He added a lot of custom features into the design and I appreciate that very much. He was in his glory leading a crew of men on a project, even though the crew only consisted of Mark and Bobby. Plus, it was a great guy-bonding thing for all of them. Mem and I were told to stay out of the way, and so we went shopping. Hard to believe that it’s been five years. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2/3 cup shortening

2 2/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

1-16 oz. can pumpkin

2/3 cup water

3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon (I always use more)

1 teaspoon ground cloves (I always use more of this, too)

2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, or if using muffin pans, grease bottom of each cup or use paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs, pumpkin and water.

3. Blend in the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in the nuts, if using.

4. Pour batter into pans. If making muffins, fill the cups a little more than half full ( I use a large scoop that holds 3 Tablespoons).

5. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes. If baking the bread in a loaf pan, bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from pans. Store in refrigerator.