Copy Desk Cookoff: Pumpkin Bread

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Siegel.

Hi, my name is Sam, and I have a pumpkin problem.

I blame it on Starbucks and their infectiously delicious pumpkin spice latte, which kick-started my addiction in 2012, when my profuse amounts of coffee consumption began. Since my lips first touched that white plastic Starbucks cup, I’ve come to love and actively seek out anything pumpkin during fall. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cream cheese … you name anything pumpkin, I’ve probably tried it. And I’m not ashamed. OK, maybe I’m a little ashamed.

This pumpkin bread recipe, which I found online in 2013, is my favorite thing in the whole world. You might think I’m exaggerating, and you’d be wrong. This pumpkin bread is soft, spicy and deliciously pumpkin flavored. I’m a baking novice, and I’ve never had a problem making this recipe, so it must be simple.

You’ll need:

One 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

Four eggs

One cup of vegetable oil

2/3 cup of water

Three cups of white sugar

3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons of salt

One teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon each of ground cloves and ground ginger

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. This is ideal pumpkin bread temperature, according to science. Grease and flour three 7-by-3 in. pans (or, if you’re me and don’t own any bread pans, bake your bread in a giant brownie pan. Yes, I just said that. Yes, you’ll thank me later.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well mixed. In a separate bowl, do the same to the dry ingredients (baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger) until well mixed. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until juuuuust blended, no more.

Bake for about 50 minutes in your prepared pans for maximum pumpkin-y goodness. You’ll know your bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the bread’s center comes out clean.

Voila! Bon appetit! I hope I added some fuel to your pumpkin fire.