Pumpkin Spice Bread with Brown Butter Glaze: Sometimes a "can" is all you have

I've noticed an alarming trend in my grocery shopping: I avoid going to the grocery store if I have to take anyone from my family there..

I do not enjoy group outings to the grocery store. I do not like taking Husband with me (as he'll buy something I don't approve of) and I do not enjoy very much, three chattering, active, no-longer-sit-in-the-cart-and-look-cute children, who ask and explore and get excited over things that I cannot imagine.

"Mom, did you know that Jello comes in this bright green color? How do they do that?"

"Mom, can I buy this [points to most sugary cereal with 27 different artificial colors listed] and eat it for all three meals today?

"Mom, let's walk down this [chips] aisle. I wanna see all the stuff here. It looks really yummy here."

"Mom, lemonade comes in a BOTTLE. Like already made! How do they do that?"

"Mom, look at these applesauces. It has only apples listed in the ingredients. Can we get it?"

"Mom, we need more snacks. There is nothing I like to eat at home. THIS SNACK is allergy safe!!"

"Mom. They have FROZEN pizza. Now you don't have to make it homemade. Let's get one."

The mass of craziness, questions, activity, and general flurry of three kids running circles around me generally means that I will avoid going to the grocery store by all means, especially when the kids are on break, and right now, my kids are on break. They are on a three-week fall break, and I made the mistake taking them to the store once, and I subsequently vowed to myself that we'd have to be starving in order for me to go again.

Therefore I began rummaging through the pantry to find new things to cook without going anywhere to get ingredients, and I discovered 6 CANS of pumpkin. Although the weather was hot, suddenly I felt fall. I wanted to make something warmly spiced, rich, and typically autumn. I toyed around with all six cans of pumpkin, making various permutations of this spiced bread, until I came upon the recipe that truly satisfied me. One major requirement was that I had to USE UP a can of pumpkin instead of having one of those "I have 1/4 cup of pumpkin left that I don't know what to do with" situations. The other major requirement was that I wasn't going to go to the supermarket to get any missing spices or ingredients. The result was this super delicious bread that everyone who has tasted has been going nuts over.

(In a funny side story, I knew I wanted cinnamon, but could only find cinnamon sticks. In order to avoid the store, I cleaned out my coffee grinder and ground my own cinnamon, sifted it to make sure it was fine, and drank cinnamon perfumed coffee for a few days, only to find my ground cinnamon 3 batches of pumpkin bread later.)

Lucky for you, this recipe makes TWO loaves - one to give away, and one to keep. Or, if you're selfish, one to freeze and one to keep. Or, if you have a ravenous family who needs to keep busy eating pumpkin bread, one to eat and another to eat. The icing is optional - and as my #2 likes to say, "When it has icing, it's dessert. When it doesn't have icing, it's breakfast."

Pumpkin Spice Bread with Brown Butter Glaze
Makes 2 loaves

Bread Ingredients
2 ⅓ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Glaze Ingredients
1 stick (8 tablespoons butter)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 5 tablespoons whole milk (will vary based on desired consistency)

Bread Method
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9X5X3 loaf pans (or a slightly smaller one, but just know it’ll take longer to bake, the deeper the pan). Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Gently add flour to pumpkin-egg mixture. Mix slowly and gently, incorporating gently, being careful not to overbeat. Once mixture is well incorporated, divide evenly between two loaf pans.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes. Bake until tester in the center of loaf comes out clean. Allow breads to cool for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Glaze Method
In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Carefully pour melted butter into a bowl, leaving excess sediment behind.

Add confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons milk and whisk together until uniform and smooth. If glaze is still too thick, add more milk and whisk again, until desired consistency. A runny glaze is easier to smooth everywhere but doesn’t set up as easily as a slightly stiffer glaze. Choose accordingly.

Use glaze immediately. Pour over bread and allow to set, about 30 minutes.

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