Pumpkin Date Bread

After Paper Chef #7 I found myself with lots of Medjool dates.  Dates always remind me of one of my favorite quick breads that I normally make in the fall.  No special reason for that except that the ingredients are fall-ish. So last night I finally got around to making a couple loaves.  I had a couple slices fresh out of the oven and will have more for breakfast!  I love this bread as the cloves lend such a warm, comforting taste to the moist pumpkin.  This bread is so moist that you don’t need to add anything to it, unless of course you’d like to!  And, as it gets a little older, I love it toasted with butter, too. 

See the cracks in the top of the bread?  I’ve always sort of wished that wouldn’t happen.  And then I was reading Viv’s Paper Chef entry and I had to laugh! She actually hopes to get those cracks!  :-)  Funny how those things work – if you’ve got them you don’t want them, if you don’t, you do! 

I always use my own pumpkin in this recipe (now the fall thing makes sense, doesn’t it?) but canned works just as well.  For the nuts I normally use either pecans or walnuts.  It’s a super easy recipe and it’s nice that it makes two loaves – one for now and one to freeze for a special treat later on. 

Pumpkin-Date Bread
Betty Crocker’s Christmas Cookbook- First Printing, not in current version

2½ cups sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
16 oz pumpkin
⅔ cup water
3⅓ cups flour
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
½ tsp baking powder
½ – 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
½ – 1 cup pitted, chopped dates

Heat oven to 350°F.

Grease bottom only of two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans or three 8½ x4½x2½ inch loaf pans.

Mix sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.

Bake until pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 60 – 70 minutes. Cool slightly, loosen sides from pan and remove to racks to cool.

Cool completely before slicing. (Or slice v-e-r-y carefully!) To store wrap and refrigerate no longer than 10 days.