Want to know a secret?

I’m not really a huge fan of pumpkin pie.

I’ve never really understood what the big deal is. I think it’s a texture thing. Or maybe I just haven’t had a “real” pumpkin pie yet (although I have sampled quite a few).

I just prefer my pumpkin in other ways. Take pumpkin bread for example. Now that I can get behind! Dense, chewy, pumpkin-y…throw in a little cinnamon, some nutmeg, and a hint of ginger and boom! How can pumpkin pie even compete with that?

Well, I suppose you can put ice cream on the pie. Not so much with bread. Unless you really love your ice cream.

Dairy products aside, this is some mean pumpkin bread, and would be great with additions like raisins soaked in rum (thank you, mother!), pecans, walnuts, or even chocolate chips.

And yes, it’s totally off season for pumpkin bread, I know, but hey, the farmer’s markets haven’t opened yet, and I am running out of frozen rhubarb.

Ingredients: (recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction)

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 Tbsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 Tbsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. all spice

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan, and set it aside.

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and all spice until evenly distributed.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, mixing until just combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl when you’re finished, just to be sure everything is completely mixed in.

5. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.