Pumpkin Bread for Autumn

I just got a new Kitchenaid stand mixer and I wanted to try out my new toy! I found this recipe for pumpkin bread on epicurious.com. The stand mixer definitely makes it easier to blend butter and sugar together. Though the recipe calls for just all-purpose flour, you can probably play around with using other kinds of flour. I replaced a 1/4 cup of AP flour with whole wheat, and next time, I’ll probably use even more whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose.

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ¼ tsp. ground allspice
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus a bit more for the pan
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• scant 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• optional: ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a small bowl.
3. Beat the butter, sugar, and oil on high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just incorporated.
6. Mixing on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and 2/3 cup water and mix until just combined.
7. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
8. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.