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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center
of the oven. Butter and lightly flour two - 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf
pans.
To toast nuts:
Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until
brown and fragrant. Cool completely and then chop coarsely.
Cream Cheese
Filling: In your food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add
the sugar and process just until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time,
processing just until incorporated. Do not over process. Stir in the flour.
Pumpkin Bread:
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,
salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In another large bowl, whisk
the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk
until blended. Whisk or stir in the pumpkin, water, vanilla extract, and
nuts.
Add the flour mixture to the
pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. (A few streaks
of flour is fine.) Do not
over mix as it will make the bread tough.
Divide the batter
in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the two prepared pans.
Divide the cream cheese filling in half and place each half of filling on top
the two pans of batter,
smoothing the tops. Top with the remaining half of batter (use two spoons
to place small dollops of batter on top of the filling). Bake the breads for
about 55 - 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf
comes out clean.
Place pans on a
wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing breads from pans. Can serve
warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or else
freeze for later use.
Makes 2 loaves.
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