Spiced Pumpkin Bread

A few weeks ago we went to Family Farm Day in Canisteo, NY. Bebe was able to pet some farm animal and his favorate had to be the calf; we could not get him away.  I was able to milk a cow, which was a little odd, but so fun.  We also went through a corn maze, which was fun b/c it was small and Bebe actually got us through it.  Finally, on the way back to the car, Bebé was able to pick out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

So now we had a pumpkin, and what to do with it.  I figured it wouldn't last until Halloween, so I put it to good use.  I cut it up, de-seeded it, roasted* it, and turned it into pumpkin purée.  I was able to get 4 different uses out of it, most of them sweet though.  I saved the seeds, washed them, and roasted them.  It was a small pumpkin, but had tons of seeds.  Half are being eaten by Honey and the other half are being used as one of the many ingredients for my Thanksgiving Turkey.
For my first recipe, I decided to wing it and make a pumpkin bread. It turned out really good, and not too sweet. Perfect to go along with a butternut squash soup. Although I included measurements that give good taste; in our house, there is no such thing as too much spice. So, I say try the batter to see if it's to your liking.

SPICED PUMPKIN BREAD

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon clove
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Set oven to 350°F. Prepare cake pan by spraying with vegetable oil spray and flour.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices.  Add the eggs, puree and vegetable oil. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until it comes together. Batter should be loose, but thicker than pancake batter. Add water if needed.
Add batter into baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.


*To roast pumpkin set oven at  400°F. Bake pumpkin for 45-60 minutes, until fork tender.
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FROSTING

1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk

In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Add 1 teaspoon of milk one at a time until frosting forms. Drizzle onto bread.