Amazing Pumpkin Bread!

Fall is finally arriving in Georgia - praise the Lord! These 90 degree days into late September have been nuts. Don't ask me why I had to be pregnant during one of the hottest and long-lasting summers we've ever had. But anyway, I've been craving fall stuff for awhile, and I finally found a store that was stocked with canned pumpkin, and had to buy a couple of cans. Jonathan has begging for pumpkin bread, so I broke out my recipe and made it today. If you don't mind, I think I'll share:

Amazing Pumpkin Bread
(makes 2 loaves or 3 dozen muffins)

Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, very soft (not melted!)
3 eggs
1 15 oz can pure canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease either loaf pans or muffin tins.

2. In medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat together softened butter and sugars. Add the eggs. Beat for two minutes with mixer until fluffy (do not under beat!).

4. Add the pumpkin to butter/sugar/egg bowl and mix by hand until well combined.

5. In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently by hand until each batch is just incorporated (scrape the sides between each batch). If desired, gently stir in nuts. Batter will be thick and fluffy, not liquid. Do not over mix!

6. Fill each loaf pan with half the batter, or fill muffin tins half full. Bake loaves about an hour, muffins about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and tops are golden. Cool in pan for ten minutes, then run a knife around the sides and finish cooling on wire rack.

7. Eat and enjoy!

I'm not always one to separate the dry and wet ingredients when I bake, but it does make a difference with this recipe, and keeps it from being very dense and crumbly. In addition, mixing the dry and wet together gently keeps this light and airy. It is worth it, though, and one of my guilty pleasures in the fall. My favorite way to eat it is with a light layer of cream cheese and a delicious cup of coffee (or apple cider!).