The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

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Ingredients Instructions FAQs

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (1)ThisBest-Ever Pumpkin Bread is incredible! Moist, soft and fluffy with a tender crumb and bursting with pumpkin spice flavor! So easy, so wonderful!

So yesterday was pretty much like any other day.

I work all day long: baking, photographing stuff, editing, cleaning, and no less than 18 loads of dishes. And a peeking into the living room to see what the big deal is onLet’s Make A Deal. If you didn’t know I was 25, would you guess I was 80? I would.

Yesterday’s highlights were that I found an almond in my bra at the end of the day, and that I also got a cake pan in the mail. Ironically, yesterday’s lowlights were that I found an almond in my bra and that I also got a cake pan in the mail.

My life is exceptionally more boring than yours, no contest.

So much so, that I don’t even really have real-life friends. I have my blog friends of course, but friends I text my dating woes to? Friends I share good news with? Friends I bitch about bad days with? A friend to tell my exciting cake pan news, or ruminate over how I found an almond in my undergarments? I have no one really, and it’s painfully lonely sometimes.

No one tells you when you’re older that it’s so hard to cultivate relationships, especially when you work from home. Whenever I try to reach out to my >2 friends from high school, they never respond to my texts. In fact, neither of them even bothered to show up to my book signing or my little book party I slaved over a couple weekends ago. It makes merealize we’ve simply drifted apart of natural causes, so to speak. In other words, there was no one-event that caused our friendship to fissure; we just faded away, have nothing more in common, and if they couldn’t even bother to shoot me a text saying they couldn’t make it (and I know they could have – I saw the selfies posted from that day), then maybe I don’t need them in my life any longer.

Sorry I’m waxing philosophical, but I felt like I needed to get this off my chest… much like that lone almond. Maybe you are a young professional who doesn’t have many friends, either. Or maybe you’re feeling the same way I am: that a new season is approaching, and another season is passing that you haven’t spoken to some “friends” in awhile who haven’t texted you back. I’m here to let ya know that I’m here for you, and I understand.

And to also let you know that in this day of social-media craziness, that it’s perfectlyokayto unfollow. Relieve yourself of the burden of a dead friendship. Cut the ties that bound you two together by fond memories of the past, but nothing from the present. Feel free! And find yo’self some new buddies to eat almonds with!

I know this had nothing to do with Pumpkin Bread, but that’s okay. Pumpkin Bread is my only friend right now, so I’m taking what I can get.

This Pumpkin Bread is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, hands-down. I posted a Chocolate Chip version last year, and the original Brown-Butter Maple Glazed bread a couple years ago, but sometimes you just want a plain ol’ slice of pumpkin bread with no frills. I hear you. That is this bread!

Make it. And then call your friend and see if they want to share with you!

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2)

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (3)

Print Recipe

4.79 from 19 votes

This Best-Ever Pumpkin Bread is my absolute favorite! So moist, fluffy and with a buttery, tender crumb. Glaze it, stuff it, or dust it with powdered sugar, or eat it as is. It's a keeper!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Dessert

Servings: 8

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease an 8-or-9" loaf pan with cooking spray and place the loaf pan on a baking sheet in case of any spill-over.

  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and pumpkin and beat to combine. Add in the spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour and mix to combine, careful not to overmix. Mixture may be slightly lumpy; this is okay! Overmixing will lead to tough bread.

  • Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for approx. 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, not wet, crumbs. Cool for at least 20 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely, or let cool completely in the pan. Cut into slices!

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (4)Moist, fluffy, tender and packed with amazing pumpkin spice flavor, this bread is a total keeper!

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (5)Have a wonderful day!

xo, Hayley

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put too much pumpkin in pumpkin bread? ›

You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

Why does my pumpkin bread have no flavor? ›

Why does my pumpkin bread taste bland? Make sure to follow the recipe exactly. That means—don't leave out the salt, don't cut the amount of sugar, and use the specified amount of cinnamon.

What is the secret to success when making quick breads? ›

Quick breads are typically mixed by hand, and it's important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to develop, resulting in a tough and chewy bread. Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined, and then stop. If there are a few lumps in the batter, that's okay.

What happens if you don't put baking soda in pumpkin bread? ›

Baking soda is a leavening agent. It creates air bubbles (technically, carbon dioxide) in your batter, when heated. Without it, your baked goods will not rise to the desired levels and the airy texture you're looking for will be adversely affected.

What are the side effects of too much pumpkin? ›

When taken by mouth: Pumpkin is likely safe when eaten in foods. It is possibly safe to take pumpkin seed or pumpkin seed oil in medicinal amounts. Side effects from pumpkin products are rare, but might include stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and nausea.

How to make pumpkin taste better? ›

Cook It on the Stove

Briefly cooking your canned pumpkin purée on the stove can help improve both the flavor and texture. This method helps reduce excess moisture, which gives the pumpkin a superior texture. It also releases the natural pumpkin flavor and helps reduce the metallic taste from the can.

What happens if you forgot the salt in pumpkin bread? ›

Bread without salt is still edible, it's just rather bland and pale. Serve with spreads, herbs, or salted butter for a boost of flavor.

Why did my pumpkin bread come out gummy? ›

If your pumpkin spice bread is gummy or undercooked in the center, it's typically because it either 1) needed more time to bake in the oven or 2) the batter was too wet, which led the bread to collapse in on itself a bit (this happens if you measure ingredients by volume, rather than by weight: it's easy to ...

Why is my pumpkin bread so heavy? ›

Pumpkin bread can become dense if there is not enough hydration or wet ingredients in the recipe. Another cause is overcooking the bread which can cause it to dry out. Remember, it's always easy to keep cooking if it isn't done but impossible to take cooking time back.

What's the purpose of an egg in a quick bread? ›

Eggs also act as an emulsifier. By surrounding small particles of fat, the egg helps make the quick bread batter smoother, thus contributing to volume and texture. In addition, when eggs are beaten, they incorporate tiny air bubbles that expand with heat in the oven, contributing to volume.

Why won t my pumpkin bread cook in the middle? ›

Setting the Oven Temperature Is Too Hot

If your oven runs hot, your bread is likely to brown and bake up on the outside before the center has a chance to fully cook. Invest in a simple oven thermometer to help verify the temperature. Make sure you have other bread baking essentials in your kitchen, too.

What can I use instead of baking powder in pumpkin bread? ›

To replace 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder, use 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) lemon juice. Summary: Replace 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda.

How does pumpkin affect baking? ›

Not only does pumpkin purée act as a sweetener, a creamy moisturizer, and a fat substitute in everything from muffins to soup — but it also tastes delicious in everything! But because canned pumpkin is unlike any other baking ingredient, it tends to be mistreated in recipes.

Is there such thing as too much pumpkin? ›

Pumpkin is very healthy and considered safe for most. However, some people may experience allergies after eating pumpkin (32). It's also considered mildly diuretic, which means eating a lot of pumpkin may induce a “water pill”-like reaction, increasing the amount of water and salt your body expels through urine (33).

Is too much pumpkin pie spice bad for you? ›

Pumpkin spice is not bad for you. What's bad for you is the sugar found in most pumpkin spice flavored products. What is a pumpkin pie spice substitute? Make your own pumpkin spice blend using any or all of the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, or cardamon.

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