We shared this holiday recipe last year, and we thought it might be time to bring it back out again! We love this pumpkin cranberry loaf, but we still haven't tried this recipe in a Dutch oven. We're hoping some adventuresome soul will give it a shot and report back to us on how it turns out. We think this recipe, for pumpkin cranberry nut bread, will work perfectly in a Dutch oven!
 

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 cups pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups raw whole cranberries

Get your coals good and ready. You will need about twice as many coals as the diameter of your Dutch oven. (For example, if you have a 14-inch oven, you will need about 28 coals.) Spread fewer than half the coals evenly underneath the oven and save the remaining coals for the top of the oven. (GCW's secret to perfect coal placement: Take the diameter of your oven and subtract 2. That's the number of coals you will put under your oven. Now, take the diameter of your oven and add 2; that's the number of coals you will put on top of your lid.)

Mix sugar, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and pumpkin in a large bowl. Sift together the flour, salt, spices and baking soda. Add to the pumpkin mixture. Add cranberries and nuts. Pour the mix into your well-greased Dutch oven, cover it and load coals onto the lid.

The bread will need to bake for at least an hour — probably longer, depending on the size of your Dutch oven. You'll know it's done when it smells fantastic and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

If you want to make this loaf in the oven instead, it's super easy. I bake mine in a couple of 9×5-inch greased pans at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Let us know if you try our recipe! And, if you've got a favorite holiday or camping recipe, share it with us!
Happy Holidays, River Rats!