Dazzling. If you serve it to friends or co-workers, they’ll ask for a copy of the recipe. Save time and hand out a copy of the recipe along with the bread.

• 3 ⅓ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil*
• 4 eggs, beaten
• ⅔ cup water
• 1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, spices and sugar in large bowl. Add rest of ingredients one by one, mixing after each. Butter three loaf pans or one 9×13 pan, and pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If you are serving as a cake, try topping this with whipped cream or ice cream.

*This bread turns out nicely if you substitute ½ cup unsweetened applesauce for ½ cup of the oil – there is less fat, the texture is almost exactly the same, and the very slight apple flavor tastes good with the pumpkin.

from our friend Lee Hammer