Pumpkin Bread

This is my first attempt of baking with pumpkin and it was surprisingly good. We commonly use pumpkins in India for various curries but I never imagined that flavor with a sweet tinge. I tried the recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook and it turned out amazing. The flavor is not that pumpkin-y and the spices elevate the bread to a whole new level. It is lightly sweet, dense, moist and would go perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. No wonder its one of the most popular recipes during Fall!

This recipe makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients
Sugar : 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
Pure pumpkin puree : 1 cup
Vegetable (or any other neutral) oil : 1/3 cup
Pure vanilla extract : 1 teaspoon
Eggs : 2
All purpose flour : 1 and 1/2 cup
Baking powder : 1 teaspoon
Baking soda : 1 teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Pumpkin Pie Spice : 1 tablespoon
Chopped Walnuts : 1/2 cup (optional)

Procedure
1) Heat oven to 350F and grease the loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla essence, and eggs.
2) Add all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and stir just until combined.
3) Stir in chopped walnuts (I forgot to add them to the loaf you see below) and pour into the loaf pan.
4) Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing.

Note: I like my bread to be less on the sweet side, but if you like it sweeter, add 2-3 tablespoons more sugar to the batter. Chocolate chips and raisins are also very interesting additions to this bread!