Recipe Share: Pumpkin Bread

It's that time of year! Of course, I love pumpkin year-round - in the summer I make pumpkin cheesecake or pumpkin ice-cream pie - but right about now I start craving some good ol' pumpkin pie or this fabulous pumpkin bread:

Pumpkin Bread
makes 2 8x4 loaves, or 1 9x5 loaf

Ingredients:
15 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of the loaf pan(s) with cooking spray, or grease with shortening.
2. In a large bowl, stir pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs until well mixed. In another bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients (I use a whisk to make sure everything is well-incorporated). Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.
3. Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch pans, or pour all into a 9-inch pan.
4. Bake 8-inch pans about 1 hour, or a 9-inch pan 1 hour, 15 minutes (or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack in the pans.
5. Flip the bread out of the pans and allow to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours (if you can wait that long!)
6. Enjoy within 4 days if stored at room temperature. Or refrigerate up to 10 days.

I love this bread warmed up in the microwave with a little cream cheese for breakfast, or with a little ice cream for dessert. If you use this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you! Let me know if you change it at all, or how you enjoy it!