Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

If this is food karma, I don't know what I did to deserve it...

Last Friday, I started thinking about pumpkin bread.

Saturday, I shoved those sweet, pumpkiny thoughts way down into the depths of my brain. I will have willpower!

Sunday, I tried a slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Nope, my pumpkin bread desire scoffed at my attempt with carrots-as if.

Monday, I decided the concoction in my brain needed chocolate chips and oatmeal.

Tuesday, I debated purchasing a slice at my favorite campus coffee shop. Nah, I can make that plus...oatmeal and chocolate. Then I searched for recipes. Then I thought "MAPLE AND PUMPKIN!" Then I reconsidered the chocolate chips and replaced them with pecans. Then I thought about browned butter.

Do you understand why it is so difficult to live with myself yet?

Mary understands [don't worry, she only got teeny-tiny bites without any pecans]. She crawled right over to her grandpa as soon as he sat down to have some pumpkin bread. I'm pretty sure Mary and I are kindred spirits.

I chose a recipe, altered it to be what I want [because, really...would I leave something the way it was?], made some browned butter frosting, and demolished a slice.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups Flour
• 1-3/4 cups Oatmeal
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. 
  
• 4 Eggs
• 1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt [I used 0% FAGE], or Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup [the real deal]
  Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  
• 1 cup Pecans [Optional, but you know you want them. Also, take 10 minutes and roast them because it takes a pecan and makes it a PEEEE-CAN! What I'm trying to tell you is that roasted/toasted pecans are where it's at, just throw them in a skillet over med-high heat until you can smell a toasty smell. I'm very technical here.]

Once you've mixed the dry and the wet, just combine them until it's all sweet and delicious looking. If you want pecans, you should add them in now.

Fill your greased bread pans 3/4 full. This made two large loafs for me. Bake those breads at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Once they're done, a toothpick will come out clean. [I baked mine for 50 minutes and the top got dark, but the middle is gooey--I should have given them another 5-7 minutes.] Don't get too worried about the bread getting dry because the combination of pumpkin and yogurt make this bread MOIST.

Once they're out if you'd like to make this "breakfast bread" more like dessert [who doesn't?], you can add a browned butter frosting. If you've never browned butter, we need to talk.

Browned Butter Frosting

• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter, browned and cooled to room temp
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup [the real deal]
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• pinch Salt
• 1-1/2 - 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• a splash of milk if you need it depending on how thick/thin you like your frosting
  Mix to combine and the slather that delicious frosting all over the bread. OH.MY.LANTA. 

Or don't do it because you'll be stuck with pumpkin bread lust sometime in your future. 

I cannot stop thinking about that bite. GET IN MY MOUTH.