Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 16oz can real pumpkin
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup soft shortening or butter
2 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
*optional 1 1/2 cup broken walnuts or pecans
1. Grease & flour two 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans), and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour with all ingredients down through pumpkin pie spice; reserve.
3. Combine pumpkin & water; reserve.
4. Combine shortening, sugar and eggs in large bowl; beat at high speed 3 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer.
5. Stir in flour mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture,
stirring until smooth. Add nuts if desired. Pour into pans.
6. Bake 45 minutes (25-30 minutes if using mini
pans). Test with wooden toothpick until it comes
out clean.
7. Cool in pans on rack for 5 minutes. Turn out
on rack & cool completely.
Oven Temperature: 350 degrees
Cooking/Baking Time: 45 minutes
Makes 2 full sized loaves or 4 mini loaves
Pumpkin
Tea Bread
By Tae Lynne
It was 1995, I was going through a divorce and living thousands of miles from family during the Christmas holidays. My boss, Deb, invited me to have dinner with her family. She served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, further enhanced by many laughing children around the table. At the end of the night, Deb handed me a mini-loaf pan wrapped in red cellophane & a silver ribbon as a parting gift. I was
delighted and could barely stand the wait until
morning to have a slice with my coffee. While the bread was moist and delicious, it was
particularly special because of the kindness extended to me by my boss and her family during a lonely time in my life. Since then I bake this bread every Christmas, wrap it in colorful cellophane & gift it to friends and neighbors -paying it forward.