Pumpkin Bread Recipe from Elm Tree Organics

Eli from Elm Tree Organics sent the following recipe to the LFFC warehouse with his delivery of purple carrots this week! It comes from the October 9th issue of Lancaster Farming. He wrote in the margins that any type of winter squash can be used for this recipe (see Lancaster Farmacy Black Futsu Squash above!), but that some squash are drier than others and may require more water.

Pumpkin Bread
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
*16-ounce prepared pumpkin (or winter squash)
3½ cups flour
½ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
⅔ cup water
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Add prepared pumpkin and mix well. Mix flour and spices and add to pumpkin mixture, mixing until blended. If using pecans, stir them in now. Add water, beat well and pour into two greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Test center with a toothpick, which should come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.

*To prepare pumpkin (or winter squash), cut in half and scoop out seeds. Save the seeds to roast in the oven for a tasty snack! Place pumpkin cut side down into a baking dish. Add ½-inch water. Bake in a 450 degree oven until you can pierce the skin with a fork (about 45 minutes to 1 hour). Scoop out flesh with a spoon.