It’s been almost exactly 15 years since I first realized how much I love cooking. My roommates had gone home for Thanksgiving week and I had the place to myself. I spent the time watching the Food network nonstop.
One of the recipes I saw during that glorious week was this pumpkin bread. It was the first non-cookie baking I’d ever done and still one of my favorite quick breads. I use the Food Network recipe for the bread but add cranberries and walnuts (which I’m sure I saw them do in that fateful episode 15 years ago).
The result is a sweet, moist cake-like loaf with surprising bits of tartness. Make mini-loaves for adorable gifts or keep it all to yourself. Brad loves a slice with his morning coffee and I think it makes a great dessert.
Ingredients
- nonstick spray
- 3 c sugar
- 1 c vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, lightly bean
- 1 15 oz can canned unsweetened pumpkin
- 2/3 c water
- 3-1/2 c flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 c fresh cranberries
- 3/4 c walnuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray two 9"x5" loaf pans or five 3"x5" mini loaf pans with non-stick spray
Stir together sugar and oil in a large bowl. Add eggs, pumpkin and water and stir to combine.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices in separate bowl.
Blend dry ingredients into wet mixture. Blend with a mixer until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.
Divide batter between the loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in each loaf comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes for mini loaves and 30-40 minutes for a large loaf.
Let stand 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Nutritional Information
Calories 347
Total Fat 15.6g
Saturated Fat 2.8g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 34mg
Sodium 391mg
Potassium 139mg
Total Carbohydrates 50.0g
Dietary Fiber 1.9g
Sugars 32.7g
Protein 4.7g
Weight Watchers Points: 8
PointsPlus: 10
That’s pretty neat that you can remember a more or less exact turning point in when you realized your love of cooking! Do you use fresh or dried cranberries in this bread? It looks delicious!
Fresh cranberries – thanks for catching; I’ll update the recipe.
That week of Food Network was legendary. I can definitely see how my tastes (read: metabolism) have changed. I fell in love with cooking about a decade before I fell in love with healthy cooking 🙂
Mmmmm. So yummy. I love this bread. Can we make more? It’s already gone!
This looks so moist & dense. Really dense. I love it. Pumpkin & cranberry are the epitome of autumn. That’s too cute that your husband comments too.
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Pumpkin bread is definitely one of my favorites. I can’ believe I haven’t made one this year yet! Thanks for the inspiration! Love all those fresh cranberries in here too.
I was looking for a festive bread that will travel well for Thanksgiving, and I came across this recipe! Thanks for the inspiration – can’t wait to make and take on the road!
This bread will be perfect for travelling! It lasts forever and still maintains a great crumb. Have a great Thanksgiving!!