Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Bread

I decided that for the months of November and December I am going to showcase some of my favorite seasonal recipes.  I started last week with mini pecan pies, I just forgot to mention the continuation of holiday recipes.

I am not a huge fan of pumpkin... I blame it on a bad pumpkin pie experience when I was about 8... but I  can put that trauma behind me for this recipe.   I love this bread!  Not overwhelmingly pumpkin, but just enough... it also makes a bunch of bread in not a lot of time.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

-5 cups all purpose flour
-4 cups sugar
-4 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. salt
-3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
-3 eggs, slightly beaten
-1 cup oil
-1 large can (29 oz.) pumpkin pie mix*
-1 to 2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
-1 cup dates of raisins

*If you cannot find a can of pumpkin pie mix (this is a highly seasonal item) you can use one large can of pure pumpkin.  If you use the pumpkin pie mix you do NOT have to use the pumpkin pie spice, the mix already has spices inside.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice).  Add eggs, oil, and pumpkin.  Stir in nuts (optional) and raisins.

Pour the mixture into 3 well greased loaf pans (I used two full sized loaves, and 3 mini loaves).  Bake at 325  degrees for for 1.5 hours.  I usually start watching the bread at about 1 hour... sometimes it bakes more quickly than 1.5 hours (and of course the mini loaves cook quickly).

Yum!!!