Pumpkin Bread

adapted from food.com

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c vegetable oil and 1/2 c applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Topping: chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans),  mix with cinnamon and nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.****
3. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil and applesauce, water and sugar until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
6. Pour into the prepared pans. Add topping (chopped nuts and spices).
7. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven.
8. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

****I chose to bake 2 ginormous loaves instead - they took 80 minutes to bake. I put foil over the tops at about an hour so the nuts would burn. Definitely would do 3 loaves next time. :) I would also try adding raisins, chocolate chips or nuts to the batter itself! Ooh! Or you could do a glaze for the top! The possibilities are endless.