Gary's Pumpkin Bread

Okay. Technically this is Mrs. Watson's* pumpkin bread, but nobody here would know it by that name. Gary likes to hand out this bread every year at Christmas. I have made upwards of 90+ loaves; this year was a no bake year. I just played Nana to my precious grandbabies instead. It was definitely less fattening and just as tiring to do that! This is not a low-fat, low-calorie recipe. Don't even try to make it that way...just enjoy it and pass it on to friends.

Gary's (aka Mrs. Watson's)  Pumpkin Bread

Yield: 2 large loaves
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs
1 (1 pound) can pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
2/3 cup water
1 cup (or more) chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat well. Add pumpkin and mix well. Sift (I don't EVEN do this anymore.) together dry ingredients. Add water and beat well. Stir in nuts. Pour into two greased, large loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. (If you use a convection oven, you may want to shorten this time.) Cool slightly on cake racks before removing from the pans. This can be wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil and frozen. It keeps well.

If you want to use other size pans, just adjust the time spent in the oven.

* Mrs. Watson used to make this for her son every year; I always managed to sneak a loaf away from him. He finally just gave me the recipe.