Pumpkin Bread

pumpkin bread in window
I love pumpkin bread and muffins any time of the year, particularly with chocolate chips in it and while sipping a cup of dark coffee, but pumpkin bread seems particularly appropriate this time of year.

This is a recipe for your standard pumpkin quick bread; yeasted pumpkin breads are rare, though not unheard of. Fresh pumpkin can be be used, though I usually take the easy way out and just use canned pumpkin puree. Whole wheat flour can also be substituted for some or all of the all-purpose flour for a change of pace.

Because the moisture content of the pumpkin can vary, as it can in the flour, the recipe recommends between 3 and 4 cups of flour. I used about 3 1/2 cups, but don't be afraid to trust your gut and adjust according to conditions.

Pumpkin Bread
Makes approximately 12 muffins, 3 small loaves, or 1 large loaf
1 3/4 cup (1 15 oz. can) pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 eggs
3-4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups chopped walnuts or chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, butter, and eggs and mix until creamy. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except the nuts or chocolate chips. Mix 3 cups of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then add as much of the 4th cup as necessary to achieve the proper consistency (moist, but thick enough to stand a spoon in). Add the nuts or chocolate chips and stir in.

Pour or spoon the batter into greased muffin tins or bread pans. Bake on the center rack until a toothpick poked into the center comes out dry. At sea level, muffins should take between 20 and 25 minutes to bake, small loaves between 25 and 30 minutes, and full sized loaves between 50 minutes and 1 hour.

pumpkin bread on cutting board
Autumn is here!

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Submitted by MrsRoc on October 12, 2005 - 8:02pm.

YUM!

I had tried another pumkin bread recipe last night and the result was gummy and just plain yucky. So I tired this one and was so excited that I got a light, fluffy, and delicious bread! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!

Submitted by Erithid on October 28, 2005 - 7:44am.

This recipe was excellent!

Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. It was wonderful. Light, fluffy, and delicious. ~Erithid

Submitted by pompeii on September 6, 2007 - 5:05am.

how big of a container do

how big of a container do you need to bake the large loaf - how about the small ones?

Submitted by maggie21 on February 12, 2008 - 4:55pm.

Anyone know why my wheat bread flopped?

I always make home made bread for some reason today my wheat bread just flopped/

Submitted by EmmaRebecca on September 14, 2008 - 11:45am.

Mix the butter and Brown Sugar first

It is important to cream the butter and brown sugar before adding the pumpkin and eggs. Otherwise the butter won't cream.

Submitted by rainb on October 18, 2008 - 4:21pm.

gluten-soy-dairy-egg free

Thank you for this recipe. It is wonderful even in the gluten-soy-dairy-egg free variant I had to make due to my own dietary restrictions.

For those trying this recipe with a non-gluten based flour concoction or without eggs, I recommend adding a little xanthum gum to your flour mix, or your bread will be rather crumbly.

For those making this without eggs, I plan to add extra pumpkin next time (perhaps about 1/2 cup extra), as the lack of eggs does dry it out a little.

---
www.rainbreaw.com

Submitted by Magrat on November 25, 2008 - 3:13pm.

I have a recipe I use that is

I have a recipe I use that is similar, but I add butterscotch chips instead. Oh so yummi! I used to get cinnamon chips, but I can never find them in the store. Those were the best in oatmeal cookies.

Submitted by DT on December 3, 2008 - 6:09am.

These were wonderful~

I made these last night and used 2 1/2 cups of unbleaced flour and 1 cup of white whole wheat flour. My kids loved them so much they asked for one for breakfast and one in their lunch!

Submitted by deedle on January 5, 2009 - 7:38pm.

muffins are baking right now,

muffins are baking right now, and they smell delicious! I started by creaming the butter with the sugar, then incorporating eggs, then pumpkin, then spices (I added 1/8 teaspoon finely ground telicherry black pepper, to add an allspicey, nutmeggy, peppery flavor) and salt. soaked 1.5 cups raisins in hot water, then drained thoroughly. added the flour to the mixture and folded in, then added raisins and finally the baking powder. scooped it out into 12 lined muffin tin cups and looks like it will take approx 25 minutes. the mixture is light and the raw batter (salmonella? ha! I *spit* in the direction of salmonella) tasted heavenly -- like a kid, I licked the spatula, spoon and bowl. and I will find room for a muffin as well; will bring the rest in to work tomorrow.

thanks for this excellent recipe!

Submitted by ema2two on January 6, 2009 - 5:59am.

Yeasted Pumpkin Bread

FWIW, In Maggie Glezer's Blessing of Bread there is a yeasted Pumpkin bread, which has some origin's in the Spanish-Jewish (Sephardic) tradition. I haven't made it, yet, but it's on my list. It looks beautiful in her book (but then again, I think all the breads in that book look beautiful).