Pumpkin Bread (with sugar)

Ok everybody. 

I am going to shock you and give you a recipe with sugar in it. 

I know!!! Yum!

I don't use much sugar in the kitchen these days but 

since my husband likes it in his coffee we always  have it around. 

I did stop buying 'regular' sugar though and we opt for organic raw cane sugar. 

Lots of people disagree about if you are going to have sugar what you should use. 

I don't like agave and truvia seems very processed to me and honestly I have never tried stevia. 

My feelings are that if I want something to be sweet I usually 

prefer to replace sugar with pure maple syrup or raw honey but 

when you are baking that just doesn't always leave you with the same texture. 

Believe me I have tried TONS of purely clean baking recipes in this house 

and though I tend to like them my kids know the difference 

and instead of it being a treat it seems like torture to get them to eat the stuff 

and that is definitely not the point of baking. (at least not for me)

So last week the weather cooled off and I pulled out the first can of pumpkin (and my sugar container) and made this bread which was a total hit with not just my kids but the whole neighborhood. So here it is:

Patty's Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup applesauce (unsweetened or homemade)

2/3 cup water

3 cups raw cane sugar (I KNOW!!! SUGAR!!!!)

3 1/2 cup whole wheat or white wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips if you are feeling super nice... 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease and flour 2 bread loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, applesauce, eggs, water and the sugar. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. 

Then add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. 

Stir until just blended and then throw in the chips (or you could add some chopped nuts here) and stir.

Don't over mix or it could make your bread tough. 

Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. 

You know the bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Don't be afraid to treat yourself and your family once in awhile!

~eat well, be well

Patty