We recently came back from a week in New England and it reminded me why I love fall so much. The weather has cooled off, there is no more pollen in the air (which my allergies are very thankful for!), the leaves are gorgeous and all my favorite foods are back in season! While a Colorado fall is not quite the same as a New England fall, she showed her true colors this weekend. Saturday was blue skies, sunny and in the 60s and Sunday was snowing and in the 20s, which made for the perfect weekend. I enjoyed a day outside in the garden on Saturday and Sunday I got to cozy up and bake all day.

Nothing like a confused Colorado fall

One of my go to fall recipes is Fannie Farmer’s pumpkin bread; it’s easy, delicious and a crowd pleaser. There are lots of ways to make this recipe yours. Sometimes I’ll use half whole wheat flour and half white flour, you can replace half the olive oil with plain applesauce or you can top it with streusel. These are great as a loaf or as muffins. Below, I’ve given you the original Fannie Farmer recipe. Be sure to use a light flavored olive oil or another mild oil such as canola. Extra virgin olive oil would not taste good in this recipe!

Pumpkin Bread

From: Fannie Farmer
Yields: One Loaf
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 teaspoon. salt

1 c. sugar

1 teaspoon. baking soda

1 c. pumpkin purée (or substitute with canned yams)

1/2 c. olive oil (NOT extra-virgin)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon. nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon. cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon. allspice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda into a large bowl.

Mix the pumpkin, olive oil, eggs, 1/4 a cup of water, and spices in another bowl. Combine with the dry ingredients. Do not mix too thoroughly.

Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes.

Leave in the pan 10-15 minutes to cool, then turn out on a rack.

Note

If baking at altitude (above 5,000 ft), add an additional  3 tablespoons of water to the pumpkin mixture. Bake for 60-65 minutes instead of 50-60 minutes.