Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Why This Is An Amazing Pumpkin Bread Recipe

The very first thing I baked in my own kitchen, after I moved away for college, was pumpkin bread. I have been making several loaves a year ever since, improving my recipe slightly every year. I’ve tested many ingredients, some worked great and stayed and some were a no-go.

This quick bread features all the fall favorite scents of pumpkin spiced with pumpkin pie spice: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger.

This bread has a big pumpkin flavor plus, it’s incredibly moist from the pumpkin puree and buttermilk. If you have problems making moist pumpkin bread, this recipe will make you a believer. Even better, it’s moist but still holds together well.

You will only need a bowl and a whisk to make the batter and a loaf pan to bake it, no mixers needed! This quick bread recipe is easy to prep in just about 5 minutes with a handful of inexpensive baking essentials.

Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Pumpkin Puree – Store-bought puree works totally fine! However, you can use homemade pumpkin puree if you wish (and is so easy to make). I do love using homemade pumpkin puree when I have some, but you have to be careful with consistency, so it’s not too thin.

Flour – regular all purpose flour will work just fine. You can use wheat flour if you wish, just note it will alter the flavor slightly.

Spices – For that signature fall flavor, we’re using a combination of the pumpkin pie spice: ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground allspice.

Buttermilk – I’ve used whole milk in this recipe for many years and it works beautifully. Recently, I’ve tried buttermilk and we loved the texture. You can choose to use whole milk or buttermilk, in this recipe it won’t be as big of a difference because of the pumpkin puree and oil.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread

Make the batter. Sift in dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, milk, pumpkin puree, and oil until smooth. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined and smooth.

Transfer into the baking pan. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

PRO TIP: For quick breads and muffins, the ingredients are combined using a process known as the muffin method. It means you whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ones in another, and then combine it all. As a result, less gluten is produced, creating a tender and moist pumpkin bread.

Bake it. Bake for 55–60 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If needed, bake additional 5-7 minutes. (You can use an instant read digital meat thermometer to check if the bread reached internal temperature of 200°F in the center. )

PRO TIP: Bake your pumpkin bread immediately after mixing the batter. The most common baking powder is double acting, which means it’s activated when mixed with other ingredients and then again when introduced to heat. Since baking powder is chemically activated by the other ingredients while mixing, it only remains active for a short time. After that, it loses the ability to help the pumpkin bread rise.

How To Tell If The Quick Bread Is Done

Using an instant read digital meat thermometer is the most certain way to see if the bread is fully cooked. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200F° internal temperature.

Another quick and easy way to check if your bread is done baking is to gently press the middle of the bread with your fingertips to see how firm it is.

You can also use a toothpick to see if the bread is fully cooked. Simply insert the toothpick into the center of the bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is fully cooked and ready to come out of the oven.

PRO TIP: in most cases you can put quick breads right back into the oven to cook more. Make sure the oven is still at the right temperature and bread is hot. Don’t try to bake cooled bread. Place the bread back into the oven for another 7-15 minutes as needed. Judge additional time based on how close the bread is to the target internal temperature.

Variations and Mix-Ins To Try

Topping: cinnamon sugar, chopped nuts like pecans of walnuts, crumble topping.

Mix-ins: chopped or halved nuts like walnut, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts. Chocolate chips, either milk, dark, or white. Dried berries like cranberries or blueberries. Butterscotch chips or caramel chips.

Best Ways To Serve

Any type of butter is delicious on a warm slice of bread.

• Cinnamon butter is especially delicious, and for extra special treat.
• Try some peanut butter, apple butter, or pumpkin butter on it!
• My kids also love to top a hot slice of pumpkin bread with ice cream and eat it like cake.

Why Didn’t My Pumpkin Bread Rise?

It could be one of these three reasons:

• Expired (old) baking soda or baking powder.
• Adding too much batter to the pan. Be sure that your batter fills the pan no more than 3/4 full. If there is too much batter, the bread will sink as it reaches above the top of the pan. So it is better to use 9×5 bread baking pan.
• Waiting too long to bake it after mixing the batter.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Storing: You can easily store it at room temperature for 2-3 days. Just make sure to cover it air-tight so it doesn’t dry out from exposure to air. In the refrigerator, it’ll stay tasty for 5-7 days when kept in an airtight container.

Freezing: Make sure to cool it to room temperature before freezing. You can freeze pumpkin bread as a whole loaf or sliced into individual slices.

• Sliced: place cooled sliced on the cutting board and freeze for 2 hours. Stack frozen slices and place a slice of parchment paper in between each slice to keep them from sticking together. Place frozen stacked bread in a large zip-lock freezer bags and gently squeeze all of the air out of the bag. Label and place the bag in a freezer.
• Whole: wrap the whole cooled loaf in parchment paper and plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the wrapped bread in the freezer zip-top bag and freeze.
• Thaw slices at room temperature or the whole loaf in the refrigerator. Slices of bread will take only about 30 minutes to thaw.

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

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Enjoy More Delicious Recipes

• Pumpkin Scones
• Pumpkin Puree
• Banana Bread
• Apple Bread
• Zucchini Bread
• Pumpkin Pancakes

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in 2015.