This is one of my all-time favorite spice bread recipes. Its from the Joy of Cooking, but I always adapt it to add more spice to let all the flavors really pop. Perfect for breakfast year round, but especially nice in fall. For a more autumnal flavor you can even add a tbsp of pure maple syrup (ideally Grade B).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2-1 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp baking powder

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1/3 cup water or milk (I use water)

1 tsp vanilla

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6 tbsp butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 can pumpkin puree

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5-in loaf pan and set aside.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients, or the first set listed above. 
3. In another bowl, combine vanilla and water/milk.
4. In a large bowl beat room-temperature butter until creamy. Once creamed, add sugar. 
5. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
6. Add pumpkin puree.
7. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture in three parts, alternating with the water/milk mixture in two parts until smooth. 
8. Bake for about one hour, checking often after 45 minutes. Loaf is done when you can insert a toothpick into the loaf and have it come out clean.
9. This would be super yummy with a cream cheese glaze or light sugar/maple sugar glaze. Enjoy!

Serves 12-15