Happy Halloween, everyone! To me, Halloween officially kicks off pumpkin season, which lasts until Christmas. I love pumpkin! Pumpkin frappuccinos at Starbucks, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cookies, and (my favorite) pumpkin bread. I got this recipe from Nate at Let’s Get Crockin’. I tweaked it a little bit because I thought the original recipe was a bit bland. I added more spices to it. I’ve never made bread in my Crockpot before, but it’s surprisingly easy! The secret is to trap in the moisture with a tea towel and leave water in the bottom of the Crockpot for the bread to absorb.
First, gather your ingredients. You can probably find most of this in your pantry.
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cup of flour (sifted)
- 1/4 tsp. of salt
- 2 tsp. of cinnamon
- 1 tsp. of nutmeg
- 1 tsp. of ground cloves
- 1 tsp. of apple pie spice
- 1 tsp. of baking soda
First, mix the oil and both of the sugars together in a large bowl.
Then, mix in the eggs and pumpkin.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Don’t be afraid to taste the batter and add more spices if necessary.
Find a bread pan that will fit comfortably in your Crockpot. I used our reusable glass Pyrex containers. They were the perfect size for making small loaves. I’ve also used a bigger Pyrex container to make a standard sized loaf. The smaller ones worked better for me this time because I planned to send these to school with Sam to give to his fellow coaches today as a Halloween surprise. When you find a pan or container that will fit in your Crockpot, spray it with non-stick cooking spray and pour the batter in, leaving a little room at the top for the bread to expand.
Pour two cups of water into the bottom your Crockpot and place the pan inside. Don’t add too much water or it will overflow into your bread pan, turning your pumpkin bread into pumpkin soup. That’s what I’m here for– I make all these stupid mistakes so you don’t have to. :)
This part is important. Find a thin tea towel and place it over your Crockpot before putting the lid on. If you don’t have a tea towel, the original recipe said paper towels will work just as well. This will keep all the moisture from escaping while the bread is cooking.
Bake on high for 3 hours. Resist the urge to peek at the bread! Every time you take the lid off, the heat escapes and it disrupts the cooking process.
When the bread is done, it should look like this:
These made adorable gifts for the coaches! I wrapped them up in pretty orange ribbon and sent them with Sam this morning. Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite holiday treats, and it’s so easy to make yourself. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Panda Poses 