Who would pay more than twice the price to avoid measuring flour and sugar for simple quick breads? We Americans of course, at least some. I wouldn’t and you probably wouldn’t either and with my recipe farther down, nobody has to.
When I saw this Libby’s Pumpkin Bread Kit last year, I gasped at the price, wondered how lazy can we be and figured it would be gone after one holiday season. Well. Not only is it back, stores in my area that didn’t sell it last year have it prominently displayed this year at the easy-to-grab, chest-level position that indicates it’s a high-profit item.
And is it ever. It’ll set you back an average $5.49 – $5.99, depending on the store and here’s what you get in that box: enough pumpkin for two loaves of quick bread — one 15-ounce can — and an envelope with, in order by weight, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and spices. That’s it! That’s what your hard-earned money buys for the convenience of avoiding 1) snaring a can of pumpkin from the low-profit bottom shelf and 2) the drudgery of measuring out a couple dry ingredients.
You still have to pay for and add four eggs, some oil and some water.
If you’re even a sometime reader here, I know we’re on the same page and you know what I’m about to say: all you need are a few ingredients and a recipe. A can of Libby’s pumpkin is no more than $1.89 and the larger 29-ounce can is only 20 or 30 cents more. If past is prologue, they will be on sale before Thanksgiving. Even with higher prices this year for flour and sugar, we’re looking at a dollar, tops, for dry ingredients and that’s not-on-sale retail, not the wholesale costs the big company enjoys.
Pumpkin bread is one of the few quick breads I like, and here’s a reliable recipe I’ve used for years. It’s remarkably similar to the one with the kit, without the box and ridiculously inflated price. Do rest up before you begin the arduous measuring.
Ella’s Pumpkin Bread
3 cups/600g sugar
3 1/3 cups/420g flour, lightly spooned
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsps baking soda
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp fresh-grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 small (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
optional: up to 1 cup of nuts, raisins, dried cranberries or chocolate chips
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F/180C/Gas 4. Spray or grease and flour two 9×5″ or 8×4″ loaf pans or one loaf pan and one muffin tin.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, mixing well to distribute evenly. Add the oil, water, pumpkin and eggs and stir well to blend. Fold in any optional nuts, etc.
Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until well-colored and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry or with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Transfer to a rack to cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely.
Yield: 2 loaves or 1 loaf and a dozen muffins
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I like how you pointed out the devious marketing tricks used to draw the bills out of too many wallets. Bread-making and baking are so easy once you have the routine down – and so much more appreciated on a cold winter night when it’s fresh out of the oven!
ian in hamburg’s last blog post..Part 4 on Turkey: The Blue Mosque smells like cheesy feet.
That’s probably more than it would cost to just buy some pre-made pumpkin loaf at the bakery. I guess people like the idea of baking something themselves.
Hi, Ian – Our supermarkets, and probably yours too, are full of tricks. I’ve written about them for 20+ years and shelving position is one of the oldest and most effective. And you’re so right about the ease and appeal of baking, to say nothing of having a finished product free of chemicals and/or trans fat.
Maria – Hello. People who like the idea of baking pumpkin bread would just use a cheap quick bread mix, as supermarket bakeries do — chemicals and preservatives included and no need to use something silly like pumpkin itself. People who actually like to bake start with flour.
Hey! I was perusing some of our crappy old blog posts and linked to you (you commented on one of our old, crappy blog posts!)… i forgot how much i like your writing and your opinions on everything food and politics related. it is amazing to me how so many people would rather not try a bit harder to cook something like pumpkin bread with natural ingredients (and cheaper!) than with a boxed version. it’s strange and, really, i’m not a baker, but i could even try to cook some pumpkin bread.
We Are Never Full’s last blog post..What’s for Dinner, President Obama?
Hello there..and thank you so much! Any time someone compliments my writing I am thrilled; that we are like-minded is a bonus. So you’ve made my day.
Yes, pumpkin bread is a snap, like all quick breads. And they freeze well, so making two at a time isn’t a problem.
Good to see you and happy Thanksgiving. (What is for dinner? I’ll have to go see.)
I, too, had fallen into the processed food-quickie-fixie mindset, although I had been a “from scratch” cook for many years (given the era in which I was raised), but fell into the “let’s get it done quick and fast” mindset.
A strange, untreatable rash and concerns about hormones lead me to return to “from scratch cooking” using fresh and/or organically grown products.
Many women today do not know cooking basics-sad!
Happy that this website is available.
Hi, Barbara – I don’t have a problem with convenience per se (I do with processed foods), as long as I’m aware of what it’s costing me. The convenience of peeled, baby-sized carrots is worth the extra cost to me; a bag of shredded cabbage is not, not when I can get 4x as much from one inexpensive head in almost no time with a mandolin. A packet of flour and sugar is beyond the pale.
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