Pumpkin Spice Bread with Choc Chips, Cinnamon Red Hots w/My Recipe

One of my mahjongg ladies gave me a small pumpkin from her garden awhile back. I roasted, pureed and froze it to bake things like this: Pumpkin Spice Bread with Semisweet Chocolate Chips and Cinnamon Red Hots.

As always with my fruit breads, I use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flours. It’s easy, no mixer needed and the “secret” is to dust the chips and candy just before they’re stirred in. That way they don’t all sink to the bottom. It’s moist, surprising and delightful.

Recipe and instructions:

Preparations: Preheat 325 degrees F oven. 2 bowls: one big for the wet ingredients, one smaller for the dry ingredients. An 8″ x 5″ glass bread pan lined with parchment with hangover at ends. A small cup. Whisk. Wooden spoon.

Dry bowl: 1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda. Spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Whisk together.

Small cup: Put a tablespoon of flour in the small cup to mix with 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/3 cup cinnamon Red Hots. Do your best to coat the goodies. Do it again just be adding them!

Wet bowl: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract/ 1 cup brown sugar / small can of pumpkin or 1 cup of homebaked/pureed pumpkin plus 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce / 1/3 cup water

Method: (1) In the big “wet” bowl, whisk the eggs and vegetable oil to emulsify them. Add the vanilla and brown sugar. Stir in the pumpkin (or the pumpkin/applesauce if desired.) (2) Stir in about half of the dry ingredients, then the water, then the rest of the dry ingredients. (3) Last, gently stir in the floured chocolate chips and cinnamon Red Hots. Don’t overstir! (4) Pour batter into prepared bread pan. If desired, sprinkle some cinnamon sugar or crunchy sparkling sugar over the top. (5) Bake for 60-75 minutes, checking the middle after 60 minutes with a long bamboo skewer poked all the way down to the bottom of the pan. When the skewer comes up dry, no sticky batter, it’s done. / Add 5 minutes at a time after the first check. (6) Put on wire rack in pan. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then use the parchment ends to lift the bread out of hot pan onto the rack to completely cool.