Aryeh Cooks: Pumpkin Bread

For Thanksgiving I decided to make pumpkin bread, clearly this post has been a long time coming.  The pumpkin bread is a dessert bread, so really a cake.  This is also the first recipe for a baked good that I created.

The recipe:
3.5 cups of flour (all purpose is best)
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cups of brown sugar
1.5 cups of pecans
1 can of pumpkin puree (29 oz, enough for two 9" pies)
4 eggs
5/8ths of a cup of oil
1.5 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla (I use vanilla sugar, but vanilla extract is fine)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2 greased 9"x5"x3" loaf pans

Start by putting the pecans into your oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.  After they cool down give them a course chop.  Leave the oven on.

Mix all the other dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (leave the pecans separate).

Its interesting how artistic a bunch of spice can be.  Also, if you place spices on a plate like this you can smell them in different combinations.

Next beat the eggs together until they become a lighter yellow.  This incorporates air bubbles that can expand when the bread is baked.  Mix the beaten eggs and other liquids with pecans.  If you haven't added the pumpkin puree to the liquids, do so.  Mix the liquids together well.

It should become thick and gloppy, but not as much as a finished batter would.

Now mix the liquids into the solids.  Just mix long enough to bring the batter together.  Pour out into the greased loaf pans.

This is a double batch which is why there are four pans.  The batter has a very rich orange color which remains through the baking.  Bake for an hour, then pierce the bread with a knife or toothpick if it comes out clean it is done baking, if not bake longer until the knife or toothpick comes out clean.

At the Thanksgiving table.