This is one of my family's favorite recipes. When I ask them if I can make anything special during the colder months of the year, they always ask me to make a couple loaves of pumpkin bread using this recipe.

This is a wonderful recipe that will enhance your Fall and Winter spirit and fill your home with a festive scent. The ingredients you will need are listed below, followed by the baking instructions.

Start by mixing the first 7 ingredient in a medium bowl. This includes the flour, baking soda and baking powder, and all of the spices.

Then in a separate larger bowl, start with softened butter and add in the sugar, mixing them together with a blender until it looks a little crumbly. Next, slowly add in the eggs and pumpkin, mixing them together continuously.

Now slowly add in the dry ingredients until your entire mixture is uniform and homogenous. Your pumpkin bread mixture is now complete!

Now grease two 8ⁱⁿ x 4ⁱⁿ loaf pans. Pour your mixture into these two pans evenly, making sure to fill in around the corners.

You're all set! Bake uncovered for 65-75 minutes at 325°F.

I hope you and your family enjoy making pumpkin bread and eating it together as much as my family does. Enjoy!

History of Pumpkins used in Cooking

Pumpkins originated in Central America. The first evidence of them being used as food can be found in the Oaxaca valley dating back to 8750 BC. They had spread to modern day Missouri and were used as a food source by 4000 BC, and to Mississippi by 1400 BC. There is some evidence that the Aztecs ate pumpkin seeds as a snack.

European explorers began spreading the crop to other parts of the world in the 16^th century. The earliest evidence of pumpkins in Europe is found in a prayer book of Anne de Bretagne, the duchess of Brittany, between 1503 and 1508.

European explorers noted that Native Americans roasted long strips of pumpkin to eat. The European colonists are responsible for the first pumpkin pie. The top of the pumpkin would be cut off, and the seeds removed. It would then be filled with honey, milk, and seasonings before being baked in hot ashes.

Originally published December 4, 2020