I've never been a huge fan of pumpkin bread. I like zucchini bread and love banana bread, but pumpkin never really did it for me. That is, until last fall, when I tried Two Peas and Their Pod's Nutella Pumpkin Bread. I never would have thought to pair a chocolate hazelnut spread with pumpkin. It just doesn't seem right, but believe me, it's so right. The Nutella swirl gives the bread just enough sweetness and it stays creamy so it's just like you spread the Nutella right on each slice.
The recipe made four small loaves. I baked the loaves in Halloween colored porcelain loaf pans I found for $1 each at Michael's. They were the perfect welcome gifts for my friends visiting from out of town. I even customized one of the loaves for my friend Missy who doesn't like Nutella, using chocolate chips instead.
Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Bread
from Two Peas and Their Pod
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract
8 tablespoons Nutella (2 tablespoons per mini loaf)
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 4 mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until combined. In another bowl, combine water, oil, pumpkin, eggs and extracts and whisk until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans. Spoon 2 tablespoons of Nutella into each loaf pan and use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella into the batter.
Place the loaf pans on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven. Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks
*Note: The recipe will make 2 8x4 inch loaf pans. Adjust the baking time to 60 minutes.
