What's Baking? September: Quick Breads

This month's What's Baking? theme was chosen by Jenna of Jenna's Cooking Journey. She chose quick breads, which is perfect for me, since it's now pumpkin season and I needed a good excuse for pumpkin bread!

Several years ago, I was part of a recipe swap on Ravelry (the knitting social network). It was a fun little group that sent recipes every month. We were divided into groups of 4 or 5, and would send recipes following some theme to everyone in our little group. One of my favorite fall recipes, caramel fondue, came from that group. I also received a delicious recipe for pumpkin bread, which I made almost immediately but of course have since lost- that's one problem about mailing recipes, they come on cards or sheets of paper, and I tuck them somewhere and lose them. I'm much better about emailed recipes.

Anyway, when I found out about our What's Baking? theme I did some sleuthing online, and found what I think is the right recipe. Even if not, it's good!

Harvest Pumpkin Bread
found on a collection of holiday recipes, Gone-Ta-Pott

1 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter

2 eggs

1 and 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups  flour

1/2t salt

2tbaking powder

1/4t baking soda

1t ground cinnamon

1/4 cup orange juice

Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and then pumpkin. Whisk together flour, powder, soda and salt, then add half to the batter, stir in the orange juice, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just till combined, don't overbeat. Optional: add 1/2 cup each raisins or other dried fruit, and walnut or other nuts. 

Pour in a loaf pan (or I did 6 muffin cups and a loaf pan, it would have been a really towering loaf, and I was saving the loaf for the next day, when friends were coming for lunch, and I wanted a muffin now). Bake the loaf at 350F for about 60 min (muffins took about 30)

1/16 of this recipe (if you make just a loaf and cut into 16 slices) has 164 calories, 3.9g fat, 3.3g protein and 1.1g fiber. Which isn't tooooo bad. Normally I calculate by weight, but I forgot to weigh this one!

This is also delicious with a bit of cream cheese frosting, as a dessert, or plain cream cheese, for breakfast. I plan on making this recipe regularly through Christmas time.

Also, I opened a giant can of pumpkin to make this, so now I have like 2 cups of pumpkin to play with! Much excitement! Now, if I could just be home long enough to cook...