Eggless Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Life is Good: we have fresh-baked pumpkin bread!

I joined a new mom's group and we've had two meetings so far. I really enjoy all of the women at my table and am excited to get to know them better as the year progresses.

As one of the coordinators of the group, I was asked to bring a treat to share. September's weather in Minneapolis has been everything from crisp to hot, but I decided it wasn't too early for pumpkin bread!

And of course, I have to share the recipe with all of my How to be Pleasant friends! This pumpkin bread is quite possibly the best pumpkin bread you will ever consume! Really! However, there is a WARNING that goes along with it: you will have a hard time leaving it alone! (I have to hide it from myself so that I will only eat one slice!)

As with all of my recipes, this one is eggless because of my kiddos' allergies. It also happens to be vegan. The original recipe calls for eggs, but I have adjusted mine using applesauce and baking powder as the egg substitute. Many people ask me what I use as an egg substitute and why I use the applesauce/baking powder combo so often. The fact is, eggs act as a binder in baked goods. They aren't there for taste, just consistency. So if you ever have a recipe that calls for beaten eggs, the applesauce/baking powder combination is a perfect substitute. The baking powder makes the applesauce foam up just like beaten eggs.

The original recipe also suggests a much larger amount of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, which I have decided overpowers the flavor of the pumpkin, so I have adjusted that, too, in my own recipe. Here it is!

Susie's Eggless Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
3-1/3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ginger (may omit, if like me, you do not enjoy the flavor)
1 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups applesauce
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup water
2 cups canned pumpkin 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and baking powder until foamy and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together oil, water, and pumpkin.
5. Add applesauce mixture to oil/water/pumpkin.
6. Combine all wet and dry ingredients until smooth. (Mixer not necessary, this is easy to do just with a spoon.)
7. Bake in greased and floured loaf pans for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, then turn out loaves on a rack to cool. Yields 2-3 loaves, depending on pan size.

NOTES: The baking time will depend on your oven, so start checking the bread after 50 minutes by inserting a cake tester or good ol' toothpick. You can serve this with a simple powdered sugar glaze or cream cheese frosting, but I think it is delicious without it! You can store this in the refrigerator for about two weeks (if you can leave it alone that long!) or freeze it.