Pumpkin Bread

Until I was about 18, this was the only Pumpkin Bread I knew. So instead of calling this Pumpkin Coconut Bread, or Coconut Cream Pumpkin Bread, (which sounds a bit dreamy), I have to just call this Pumpkin Bread.

Why all the coconut? Because the secret factor of success in this bread is coconut cream Jell-O Pudding. It makes the bread tender, and the coconut makes it good. Not super coconutty, but you do get some added texture from the tiny flakes of coconut in the pudding mix. You still get the classic pumpkin flavor, along with cinnamon and gentle nips of nutmeg, but the coconut makes it better. In short, this Pumpkin Bread just smells and tastes great!

When I was little my mom would make this every year to take to neighbors around the holidays. It makes 2 large loves, and divides perfectly into 4 mini loaf pans. In fact, I think this Pumpkin Bread tastes best made into mini loaves. And, I think it tastes best the day after you make it. We'd bake the miniature loaves and wrap them in green or red cellophane, (which always smelled weird to me), and then deliver them along with sugar cookies and homemade fudge to neighbors, friends, and our teachers. As I got older and learned how to bake, I kind of took over the Pumpkin Bread making. Thanks, Mom! I then carried the tradition into my own family. The holiday season is not right unless I've made at least one batch of Pumpkin Bread to eat and to share! It smells and tastes like cozy joy.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 small packages coconut cream pudding
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 bread pans, or 4 mini loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix oil, eggs, pumpkin, and sugar with a whisk until just combined.
3. Add flour, pudding mix, salt, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until just combined. Do not over-mix.
4. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes for large pans, 20-30 minutes for the mini loaf pans, until toothpick comes clean. 
5. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pan and allow loaf to cool completely on a cooling rack. 

Bake the bread. Share the slices.