Pumpkin Pie Bread with Graham Cracker Crunch Topping

Pumpkin Pie Bread with Graham Cracker Crunch Topping

We have continued to have 100+ degree weather days this late into September.  I absolutely love the holidays and the cool weather that comes with them, so as you can probably imagine, the heat is killing me and my spirits!  Today just might be in the high 80's so there is hope!!  

I decided to make a new bread with pumpkin yesterday to lift my spirits as the boys watched ELF- which is a  movie that is watched year round in our house.  With anything that is attempted for the first time, you never know what you will get.  Turns out that this bread took a LONG time to bake because I used so much topping that it actually baked into the bread like a filling.  Not the most attractive bread I have made, but the flavor definitely didn't lack SO that is why I had to share the recipe.

For the bread, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 loaf pans.  Sift together 3 1/2 c flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together 3 c sugar, 1 c oil, 4 eggs, and 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree.  Stir in the flour mixture alternating with 1/2 c of water.  Divide the batter between the 2 pans and begin baking for 60 minutes.

Now if you want to simply enjoy the bread without a topping, 60 minutes should be plenty of time to bake.  If you want to create a topping, lower your baking temp to 300 for about 90 minutes, using foil to cover your topping about half way through the baking time.

For the topping, I mixed together 6 crushed graham crackers, 3/4 c brown sugar and 3/8 tsp cinnamon.  Combine 6 tbsp melted butter with 3 tsp vanilla and pour over your graham cracker mixture.  Use a pastry cutter to mix all the ingredients together.  

About 10 minutes into baking my bread, I topped the bread with this topping and allowed the bread to finish baking.  1/3 of the topping will seep into the center of the bread as it bakes, causing the bake time to be lengthened to 90 minutes.  1/3 will stay on top of the bread to create a yummy caramelized crunch (which is why you need to cover the topping with foil half way through so it doesn't burn), and another 1/3 will drip down the sides of your pan which makes it fun to nibble on while you wait for your bread to cool.

Let it cool and slice.  A bite of this bread will put your right in the mood for Fall!!