Grandma Holmes's Pumpkin Bread

Like so many other quick breads, such as the Applesauce Bread that I made earlier this month, this pumpkin bread is easy to make and even easier to eat. As you can see from Grandma Holmes's recipe below, she thought this was a good recipe. She was right. It is delicious. MDS only vaguely remembers this bread, perhaps because breads like this may not be popular among kids. This type of bread would not have been my favorite treat when I was a kid, but I love it now.

When I made this recipe, I did not include nuts, raisins or dates, as the recipe indicates, but I am sure that they would be good. The recipe calls for mazola oil (a brand of corn oil), but I used olive oil. I also slightly reduced the sugar, but left the original amount in the list below. I only have large loaf pans, but small loaf pans could easily be used instead, as stated in the recipe below. This bread would be delicious anytime, but was especially tasty on a nice Fall day.

Grandma Holmes's Pumpkin Bread 

• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups pumpkin
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates

Sift together the dry ingredients. Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Grease two 9X5 loaf pans or seven or eight mini-loaf pans. Pour in batter. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan. Enjoy!

One-Rise Mixer Bread

This bread recipe is an excellent example of a no-knead bread. If you have never made homemade bread, this recipe is a good place to start. The recipe includes yeast, but uses a mixer or just a fork instead of kneading. The resulting bread is airy because of the yeast and rich because of the egg and sour cream. I substituted plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, but either will work here. This bread has just a single rise in the pan that it will be baked in, so it could not be easier.

Mom remembers making this bread because it is easy and delicious. It is good for a relatively quick bread because the rise time is less than an hour. The recipe calls for using mini-loaf pans or muffin cups. I used muffin cups, so the baking time was about 20 minutes. I did not add any mix-ins, but as you can see below, Mom's recipe proposes an option of mixing in bacon. Just about any mix-in could be used.

One-Rise Mixer Bread 

• 1 package yeast
• 1/4 cup very hot water (120 degrees)
• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg

Grease 8 mini-loaf pans or 12 medium muffin cups. In a large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add 1 1/3 cup of the flour and the remaining ingredients. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes on high speed or 380 strokes by hand, scraping the bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour thoroughly. Divide batter evenly into pans. Let rise in a warm place for 50 minutes. Batter will rise but will not double. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Pennsylvania Applesauce Bread

Fall is prime apple season, and this recipe is perfect for a nice Fall day. When it is baking in the oven, the whole house will smell lovely, making it hard to wait for  the bread to cool enough to eat. Once the bread does cool, it is so delicious that it is hard to stop eating it.

This recipe is a similar recipe to banana bread or zucchini bread, but is has a taste all its own. It is quick to mix up and bake. Mom remembers making this recipe, especially because it was so easy and uses ingredients that are probably on hand. You could use any applesauce. I prefer an applesauce with no added sugar. Next time I make this recipe, I might use a chunky applesauce so there will be bits of apple in the bread. I did not add nuts or raisins, so add those at your choice.

Pennsylvania Applesauce Bread 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add in thirds alternating with applesauce, beating until smooth after each addition. If desired, fold in raisins and nuts. Turn into a greased 9X5X3 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for one hour. Allow to cool before slicing. Enjoy!