I am freaking pumped for fall y’all.

All things fall: crisp air, crunchy leaves, and pumpkin everything. Since it’s August, my fall boner is pretty serious already. I’ve already forced my husband to watch “Hocus Pocus” even though he still considers his September second birthday the official end to the summer.

Most of my favorite parts of fall come from food. The heat is fading and the ovens are firing up! Baking is a perfect end of summer activity because my bikini body dream has died, and I am ready to start hibernating under my soft sweaters.

This pumpkin bread is my go-to recipe. I love making it for my family to enjoy with coffee or tea in the morning and I always bring a loaf to my in-law’s house for the holidays. It is easy to do at home without any fancy equipment and there is a ton of opportunity to make it your own.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 70-75 minutes

Oven temperature: 350°F

*Recipe makes two loaves*

You’ll Need:

Large mixing bowl

Nonstick Spray

Two five by nine loaf pans

Whisk (or electric/stand mixer)

Long, wooden skewer or toothpick

Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (check out how to properly measure flour here)

3 cups white granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, walnuts, dried cranberries, pistachios, raisins, or anything else.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray two bread loaf pans with non-stick spray

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, oil, water, and eggs.

3. Once combined, mix in dry ingredients until fully combined. The mixture will be thick.

4. Add optional mix-ins now! I always go with a 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a 1/2 cup of walnuts.

5. Separate batter into two loaf pans, sprinkle a few mix-ins on top too if you like.

6. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes. Test doneness with long, wooden skewer or toothpick. The top will be brown and crispy when done.

7. Let the loaves cool about 15 minutes before slicing and serving!

This yummy bread comes out moist and delicious every time I make it. It gets gobbled up fast! A Yankee Candle couldn’t even make your house smell more like fall than this. Sometimes I will do a plain loaf and save my mix-ins for the second, just in case someone has a nut allergy.