Pumpkin Bread

My church has started a test kitchen and we held our first meeting last week. (We also started a blog. Guess who's in charge? You can visit it here.) The theme for our first meeting was pumpkin and other gourds and root vegetables. There was some pretty creative stuff there, but I admit, I was expecting lots of pumpkin pies and pumpkin bread. I also admit that though that was what I was expecting I decided to make pumpkin bread anyway, and yes, I was one of the two people who had brought something someone else did. A food party faux pas, which I am now over.

Anyway, when I found a recipe that seemed good enough, I delved in whole-heartedly, only to come to things like, "3 cups sugar" and "1 cup oil" and think, "I bet I could do better..." and I--well--I don't know if I did or not to be honest, since I never made the original recipe! But this recipe is at least a little healthier, and oh-so-moist! 

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. yogurt (plain or vanilla)

2/3 c. water

2 1/4 c. sugar

3 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. ginger

Directions:

1. Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, yogurt, water, and sugar together. Blend well.

2. In separate bowl, dry whisk the remaining ingredients (flour through ginger). Add to pumpkin mixture in three batches, mixing well after each addition.

3. Pour batter into prepared baking tins (this made two 4-by-9 loaves). Bake at 350* for 50 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

NOTE: My loaves started darkening quite a bit around the edges, so I put some tin foil over just those spots to keep them from burning.