Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I saw this pumpkin bread recipe at Simple Thoughts and decided to bake some ASAP. Conveniently, I had half a can of pumpkin in the fridge that needed to be used up. :) This recipe makes two loaves, one for you and one for a neighbor. But my family and friends don’t want me plying them with baked goods, and it’s dangerous enough having one loaf of this bread in the house. It is DELICIOUS, and excellent topped with a little cream cheese for breakfast.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 cup oil
1 cup water
Chocolate chips to taste (the original recipe suggested an entire package)

Combine dry ingredients, combine wet ingredients, combine all together, yada yada. Bake at 350 F for 60-70 minutes.

Aside: I typically substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil and a little baking Splenda for sugar when I bake. I also mix it up with flours depending on the recipe, my mood, and what I have on hand. For this I combined white, whole wheat, and a little barley flour (which is very light and adds a little flavor – thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the tip). Sometimes I throw in a dash of flaxseed, but that would have been too heavy for this bread. It’s fun to experiment though.