ok, so what it’s april? who cares? if you’re like me and love anything pumpkin, it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, it’s always pumpkin time. with that in mind, i took advantage of some time to myself the other day and spent some of it in the kitchen. yes, i like to bake. i do a little cooking, too, but nothing fancy.

last fall i bought a bunch of pumpkin purée (no, i don’t do it from a real pumpkin) because it goes quick that time of year. turns out that i never got around to making anything with it, so i had a lot in reserve. since most breads are often very simple, yet very good, i decided that would be the way to go. so i did.

here’s the recipe i used. it turned out pretty well. i’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a quick loaf of deliciousness.

ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

directions
1. preheat oven to 350°f. sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2. mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. stir in the nuts, if desired.

3. pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. bake 50-60 minutes (I doubled the recipe to make two loaves and it took about 65 minutes) until a butter knife or toothpick poked in the center of the loaf comes out clean. turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.