A Lighter Pumpkin Bread

 Last week I got the hankering for pumpkin bread. I love its creamy texture, its pumkiny taste, especially when slathered with cream cheese.

So I got out my mother's old recipe for pumpkin bread, and I pulled all the ingredients out of my cupboards, and I discovered that I was in trouble. My mothers old recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil, and I had just a little bit in the bottom of the bottle: definitely not 1 1/4 cups!

I live high up in the mountains. The closest grocery store is 20 minutes away. Did I want to drive 40 minutes just to get my craving filled? Not me. Instead, I did some tinkering with the recipe. What I ended up with was better tasting and healthier for you, too! I hope you give this recipe a try, and you agree with me. 

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBS. oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
7 oz. canned pumpkin (if your measuring cup doesn't have ounces,
         this is halfway between 3/4 and 1 cup)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°

Beat eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce, and pumpkin together until fluffy.
Mix in dry ingredients, blending well so that everything is evenly distributed. 
Pour into a greased and floured bread pan. Smooth the top. 

Bake for 1 hour, or until the top bounces back when lightly pressed down with your finger. 

---

When not tinkering around in the kitchen or running to the store for supplies, Jennifer Bohnhoff writes historical and contemporary fiction for middle grade through adult readers. You can learn more about her and her books here, on her website.