Pumpkin Bread, Paula Style...

This time of year always makes me crave the flavors of autumn and quite often I find myself in the kitchen baking anything with pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, cloves, and other savory ingredients. The other day I was craving some fresh-baked pumpkin bread, and decided to see if Paula Deen (one of my all-time favorite cooks) had a recipe I could use. Sure enough she did, and my two loaves turned out deliciously! I'll post the recipe...definitely one to try when you are craving a little cinnamon and pumpkin (and have an entire cup of vegetable oil to spare). Enjoy!

Ingredients

1. 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
2. 1 cup vegetable oil
3. 2/3 cup water
4. 4 large eggs
5. 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
6. 3 cups sugar
7. 2 teaspoons baking soda
8. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice to add more savor)
10. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 (8x5-inch) loaf pans. In a medium bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine.
3. Pour into pans, and bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 2 loaves