Serving Up {Bread}: Pumpkin Bread

You know that a recipe is a hit when every time you walk into the kitchen you find crumbly remnants of the baked good on the counter and floor.  That is the positive way to look at it, right?

For the record, I have had pumpkin bread crumbs on my counter for the past three days.  I just noticed the tupperware is finally empty.  While I won't miss the mess, I am already debating about pulling another loaf from the freezer, where I stashed the "extra" loaf.  Too good!

Pumpkin bread can be tricky because some recipes are really dry.  Really, there is nothing worse than a dry loaf of pumpkin bread.  I have a number of yummy pumpkin bread variations - pumpkin coconut and pumpkin-chocolate being my two favorite variations.  But this recipe is a basic pumpkin loaf that is perfect just the way that it is.  It is moist and stays moist even days after baking.  It is the basis of a Pumpkin Bread Pudding that Bobby Flay did on the food network.  I promise to get to the bread pudding recipe (which is awesome) but this recipe for the pumpkin bread has become my one and only recipe.  It's that good.

A tasty dessert is to slice the bread, or cube it, and pair it with vanilla bean ice cream and some homemade caramel sauce.  The combo saved me two weeks ago when we had two families over for Sunday dinner and my oven element went out!  The pumpkin bread, ice cream, caramel combo was so tasty that nobody had any idea that it was a last minute scramble when my planned dessert went out with the heating element :)

PUMPKIN BREAD    
(recipe from Bobby Flay, Food Network)
printable version

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 ounces canned pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 4 tablespoons softened butter, sugar, and oil at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times.
Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just incorporated. At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and water and mix until just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.