Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is excellent as a dessert, with a meal or as a snack. The recipe below has been configured for the large size (29 oz) can of cooked pumpkin. This makes about 4+ loaves of bread (using an 8 1/2 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan - either glass or metal). In addition to being quick and easy, this recipe is flexible. If you are concerned about too many sweets, you can leave out the chocolate chips and/or cut the sugar by a cup without unduly affecting the taste. To increase the yield and make a lighter, fluffier bread or cake, beat with an electric mixer for an additional couple of minutes - this will add more air and give a larger amount of batter to cook (this is a variation on our grandparents trick of adding extra water to the soup in order to have enough to serve when company showed up unexpectedly at dinner time). Since pumpkins are a good source of beta carotene, this makes a healthy, as well as tasty, snack for children.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

7 Cups Flour

6 Cups Sugar

4 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

2 Teaspoons Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

8 Eggs

4 Cups Pumpkin*

2 Cups Cooking Oil

1 1/3 Cups Water

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

*Can use a 29 oz can of cooked pumpkin (without spices - do NOT use canned pumpkin pie filling as that contains spices) or you could bake a pumpkin and use the cooked pumpkin vegetable (note: if you do elect to bake a pumpkin be sure to find a cooking pumpkin and do not use a jack-o-lantern pumpkin as they arestringy and lack flavor).

Sift (or mix if you do not have a sifter) together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make sure these are all mixed together well.

Make a hole in the middle and add eggs, pumpkin, cooking oil and water. Mix well with a spoon or electric mixer until batter is smooth.

Add vanilla and chocolate chips (note: standard bag is slightly more than 2 cups so you can either pour the whole bag into the mix or measure it and eat the remainder as a reward for your efforts.)

Grease bread loaf pans or muffin pans and pour the mix into the pans. Fill the pans about 3/4 full with batter.

Bake for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Let pan cool for 5 minutes and then holding the pan with a pot holder, shake lightly until bread separates from sides and bottom of pan. Turn pan over and drop bread on a cooling rack to cool. If you do not intend to eat all the loaves right away you can wrap the individual loaves well in aluminum foil and store them in freezer until needed.