Autumn Spiced Butternut Squash Bread

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 cups pureed cooked butternut squash
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 2/3 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans.

Beat sugar and shortening together in a bowl until fluffy. Stir butternut squash, eggs, and water into sugar mixture.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in another bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Add nuts and raisins; stir until batter is just blended. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.