The Best for Last Bread

One last quick bread recipe for you this week before the Sweet Peas pack up and head out to visit some family for a long Labor Day weekend. This quick bread recipe is my absolute favorite of the bunch. There is no added fat to the recipe (no oil, butter, etc) and if you use egg whites, you can make it virtually fat free. And yet, it is moist, delicious and has a good hidden vegetable: pumpkin. I actually made up a batch last night to bring along with us on our trip back East. While the recipe below does not have any mix-ins, you can easily add dried fruit or nuts to your liking. Pumpkin Spice Bread 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour (or just use all purpose) 2 cups sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1-15 ounce can plain pumpkin puree 1/2 cup natural, unsweetened applesauce Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) well. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs very well. Add vanilla, pumpkin and applesauce. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix. Pour into 2 loaf pans and cook for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool and remove from pan. Makes 24 servings. This bread, like most quick breads, freezes beautifully. You can wrap it up and keep it on hand for future use. Also, all of these recipes I shared this week can be easily made into muffins if you desire. Just cut back on the baking time significantly, beginning to check on them around 20-30 minutes. Have a great Labor Day weekend! SPC