Pumpkin makes a wonderful addition to bread, adding color, nutrition, and flavor. There are two ways to add pumpkin: grated or pureed. If you add grated pumpkin, you will have flecks of deep orange color and the bits of pumpkin tend to give the bread a chewier texture. The other way is to add pumpkin purée. The following recipe uses pumpkin purée.

You’ll love these professional pans. You’ll bake better pies, cakes, and breads. Not only are they great commercial quality pans, but you can get them this week at a special savings—up to 42%. Plus you can get a set of tartlet pans free when you buy any three pans.

Equip your kitchen with professional quality pans just in time for the holidays and save up to 42%.

In the right conditions, your pumpkins will keep for two or three months. Store them in a cool, dry location. Space them so that the air can circulate around them. Ideal temperatures are 50-55 degrees.

Once you cut into a pumpkin, it should be refrigerated. Chunks can be kept in your crisper where the atmosphere is moist or in perforated plastic bags for a week or more.

For longer storage, cook your pumpkin, puree it, and freeze the puree. Properly frozen, your puree will keep in the freezer for six months.

Raw pumpkin can also be frozen. Clean and peel the pumpkin. Cut the flesh into one-inch cubes. Place the cubes in freezer-type bags and freeze. Measure out what you need for your favorite recipes. Use within two months.

This is a great dessert—kind of a cross between apple pie and pumpkin pie. It’s perfect at harvest time and is great for Thanksgiving. It’s an easy dessert and quick once the apples and pumpkin are peeled.

We prefer fresh but we suspect that we’re biased. Quite frankly, in many recipes, we have a hard time telling the difference. And we often use commercially canned pumpkin for the convenience.

There are two types of pumpkins—the decorative pumpkins intended for jack-o-lanterns and sweet, pie, or eating pumpkins. It’s not that former will hurt you, it’s that they tend to be watery and stringy and are not very good for baking.

Pie pumpkins are much better--smoother and sweeter. They can be used for baking and with any recipe calling for squash.

Of course, you can always make jack-o-lanterns out of pie pumpkins.

We started with Buttermilk White Bread. It was a home run—light and moist. From this recipe, we made Buttermilk Light Wheat, and then American White Rye—all great. Buy any three and get a free professional pan. Buy six and get two pans.

Any way you like. You can bake a pumpkin, steam a pumpkin, sauté a pumpkin, make puree out of a pumpkin, and more.

To sauté or stir fry a pumpkin, cut the pumpkin’s flesh into 1/2-inch cubes or coarsely grind it. Cook it for five to ten minutes or until tender.

Once upon a time, I was working in Raleigh, North Carolina, and living in Minnesota. (Tough commute, by the way.) I found this neat little grocery store that had gourmet jams, great seafood, fresh peanut butter, and pumpkin chips. Those pumpkin chips were really good. Since then, I’ve found that you can make your own and fresher is better. Here’s how:

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a real treat. Eat them as you would sunflower seeds, cracking the hull with your teeth and eating the nut-like seed kernel inside. They are also great hulled and used in trail mix, granola, or over salads or steamed vegetables.

Pumpkin is so versatile . . . and it shows up in so many recipes. Here are some more great pumpkin recipes to explore:

Pumpkin Pancakes: These are some of our favorite pancakes, the taste of pumpkin pie in a pancake.

Pumpkin and Carrot Scones: So good and so good for you. The pumpkin makes these scones extra moist.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: In these cake-like cookies, the chocolate accents the pumpkin perfectly.

Pumpkin Pie Squares: When we’re looking for pumpkin pie for a crowd, this is the recipe that we turn to. Easy to make.

Eggnog Pumpkin Pie: Consider this rich version of the holiday favorite. It’s made with eggnog instead of milk or cream. Simply substitute the richest eggnog you can find for the cream in your favorite recipe.

This week you can get unlimited free gifts. With your $25 purchase, get a free egg separator.

When you buy any three of the professional pan selections, you can get a set of four tartlet pans. If you buy six of these pans, you can get two sets of tartlet pans.

Plus, when you purchase any three of this buttermilk family of breads, you can select either a free professional pie pan or a free professional bread pan. Buy six breads and get two professional pans. Buy nine and get three.

We love to give these goodies away. But please, put these freebies in your cart so that we know to include them with your order.