Pumpkin Caramel Bread

This is another new recipe I just came across. This recipe was posted at the ease of freeze. However, that blog has since moved and I can't find it! I want to link up and give her full credit, so I will keep looking around for it. I found this recipe a few weeks ago, and just over the weekend I was able to find the recipe at the new site, and now I can't. The address I thought it was at takes me to some medical site.

This bread is delicious though! Very dense and moist (thank you buttermilk) and the caramel adds some extra deliciousness and texture.

I made this yesterday, and then again today. You see, I had just enough buttermilk, pumpkin, and caramel bits to whip up another loaf. I am sure I would have used up the pumpkin, but the buttermilk and caramels would have gone to waste. And this bread was delicious enough that I really didn't mind making a second loaf.

(The irony of that is I ran out of a staple ingredient, the brown sugar. Luckily I had some dark brown sugar in the pantry because I am trying another graham cracker recipe soon. It's the first time I have ever even purchased a bag of dark brown sugar. I ended up using 1/4 cup of light brown sugar and 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar. Still delicious).

Pumpkin Caramel Bread
-1 loaf

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup Caramel Bits

Whisk together the dry ingredients (not including the brown sugar). In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar and the wet ingredients, not including the buttermilk.

To the wet mixture, add about 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, stir, and add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Alternate buttermilk and dry ingredients until it's all mixed in. Then fold in the Caramel Bits.

Pour into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

The original recipe says to bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. My first loaf got a little burned after 50 minutes, but was still wet in the middle. For my second loaf I baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. It was perfect. So I recommend 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Also, in my second loaf I only put the caramel bits in about 1/2 of the loaf. This bread can easily be made without the Caramel. It does add extra sugary goodness but it's definitely not necessary. You could also add 1/2 - 1 cups of mini or regular chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or even dried cranberries.

Enjoy!