Day 10: Pumpkin Yeast Bread... FAIL.

Epic. Failures.

That is the theme for today.

You know those super-cool spicy pumpkin marshmallows I made? I tried to make those into rice crispie treats last night. One trip to the store, one full box of rice crispies, and 35 wasted marshmallows later...FAIL.

Decided I'd had enough and went to bed, but not before turning on the dishwasher... which apparently is broken and in the night, decided it was the perfect opportunity to showcase it's ineptness. Two hours, fifteen tools, and a couple of under-the-breath "praise Jesus'" later (or something decidedly less holy)... FAIL.

That's fine. That's okay. I'll redeem myself with Pumpkin Yeast Bread. It's a family recipe... Mom's been making this yeast bread (minus the pumpkin) for years. What could go wrong? Well, I'm pretty sure dough isn't supposed to be runny after six cups of flour. FAIL.

This is a picture (albeit, a poor one) of how it turned out:

Before I write out the recipe, read now, the reviews...

"It has the consistency of a brick," said my loving husband. "But the flavor is yummy!."

My Father replies, "That's okay, Jethro used to use Ellie May's rolls to take down opossums." Insinuations abound.

And my Mother, ever supportive, says "This is your first time making a yeast bread... maybe you should have started with something easier." The confidence that my family has in me, is overwhelming.

But the flavor really IS yummy, and if your neighborhood is overrun with rodents, you might thank me later. So I'm going to go ahead and print the recipe as I made it, and will preface it to say, that it is a work in progress.

What you'll need:

1 Packet of yeast
1 Cup warm water
1 Cup milk
1 Cup sugar
2 Teaspoons salt
1/4 Cup oil
1/4 Cup pumpkin puree
1 Egg
6 Cups flour
2 Well buttered bread pans

Preheat your oven to 375*. Add together the first five ingredients and let stand about five minutes. Using a hand mixer, add oil, egg, and three cups flour until smooth. (By this time, you should be feeling some major resistance with your hand mixer. I did not. In fact, I added three more cups of flour, and it had the general consistency of cake batter.)

You should: Add three more cups of flour by hand and knead on flour covered counter top. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a large bowl, and cover it with a towel. Let it sit until it doubles in size. Punch it down, then let it rest for 10 minutes. Divide into two pans and cook at 375* for 25-35 minutes.