Pumpkin bread is a classic quick bread loved by many. If you don’t have a family recipe passed down through generations, you’re probably searching for a good alternative or have tried several from the Internet. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Below, I’ll be sharing my recipe for this delicious and easy-to-make loaf.
Pumpkin bread dates back to the 19th century, made with cornmeal, yeast, and little to no sugar. In comparison to today’s quick bread, they were more like pancakes or biscuits. Nowadays, they resemble cakes more than they do the historical flatcakes. Although this pumpkin loaf may be a fall favorite, it’s one you can cook any season. It’s such an easy bake that even you have no prior experience, I’m sure you’ll be able to follow this recipe and get soft, tender, and addictive pumpkin bread as a result!
The loaf itself takes an hour to bake. Including the prep time, cooling time, and cream cheese icing, total time will not be more than two hours. Even better, you can turn it into a group activity with friends or family. Share the experience of making this delightfully moist quick bread and pass it on to other people.
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Bread
1 ½ cup All-purpose flour (180 grams )
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (250 grams)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (80 ml)
¼ cup milk (60 ml)
1 cup pumpkin puree (250 grams)
For the Cream Cheese Icing
½ cup cream cheese at room temperature (4 oz/112 grams)
¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 oz/ 56 grams)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar (120 grams)
2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a parchment paper on a greased 9X5 loaf pan and keep it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin spice until combined
- In a medium bowl, add the sugar and eggs, then whisk until the mixture is pale. To the same bowl, add the oil, milk, and pumpkin puree.
- Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix it until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan.
- Bake for 45- 60 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once ready, let cool completely and prepare the icing.
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- In a bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Using a hand blender, whisk until soft and creamy.
- Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Beat until well combined and all lumps are gone.
- Add in 1 to 2 tbsp of milk based on desired consistency.
- Pour over the pumpkin bread.
See? Take a look at that perfectly cooked pumpkin bread! It’s quite mouthwatering just from the pictures. The cream cheese icing on top just completes the flavor profile, cutting through the pumpkin flavor. It’s dense, but not too dense that it’s hard to chew. Moreover, it’s moist and simply melts in your mouth.
So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try your hand at making this deliciously moist pumpkin bread!
Tips
Don’t forget to grease and dust your pans!
If you want that pumpkin bread to slide easily our of your loaf pan, make sure you generously grease it with butter or oil, and then dust it with flour. As an alternative to butter or oil, you may use shortening or line your pans with foil or parchment paper instead. You don’t want to destroy all your hard work, just because it wouldn’t come off of the loaf pan cleanly, right? It will probably still taste good, but it won’t be as presentable.
Don’t overmix!
No one wants tough pumpkin bread. Don’t overmix that dough if you want to achieve good texture and moist bread. Overmixing removes all of those air bubbles that will make your bread soft.
Store your pumpkin bread properly.
Prevent your pumpkin bread from becoming too dry or too moist by storing it properly in an airtight container. Use plastic wrap or Ziploc bag. If you place it in your freezer this way, it can last for up to a month.
Watch your pumpkin bread closely.
A common problem encountered when baking loaf-type goods is that they’re taken out before it’s time just because they look done. For instance, the top has already become quite brown, yet the middle is still raw. Remember to do the toothpick test. If it’s still raw in the middle, this is what you can do. Turn the oven’s temperature down by 25°F. Cover your loaf with foil and move it one rack down in the oven. Keep an eye on it until the cooking timer goes off. Check it every five minutes to make sure you aren’t overbaking.
Follow the recipe’s recommended pan size.
We all love to adopt or adjust recipes to our liking. However, if you don’t follow the recommended pan size, you can end up with raw pumpkin bread. This is because baking times and temperatures are required for different pan sizes. Obviously, if a loaf is flatter, larger, or thicker than what’s in the recipe, you’ll either end up with uncooked or burnt bread. Make sure to adjust the temperature and time if you will be changing the pan size. Check on your bread frequently as well.
FAQs
What do you eat pumpkin bread with?
Pumpkin bread goes with many things, but it’s usually eaten with cream cheese, honey butter, apple butter, or even nutella. That being said, feel free to experiment and try different flavor combinations. For instance, you can add cinnamon and have cinnamon cream cheese or cinnamon honey butter.
Why does my pumpkin bread not rise?
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, you overfilled your bread pan. If you put too much in one pan, your bread will collapse instead of rise. Secondly, you probably used stale baking soda or baking powder. This is why it’s important to check the expiration date on your ingredients.
How do you know when pumpkin bread is done?
Just like with cake, use insert a toothpick in the middle of your bread. I usually do this through the crack on top. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is done. If there are still bits of dough clinging to your toothpick, allow it another 5-10 minutes baking time inside your oven.
Why is my pumpkin bread chewy?
You probably overmixed your batter. When making this bread. make sure you only mix the batter until the flour is just combined. This is why I don’t recommend using a mixer for when you’re making quick breads like pumpkin bread. When you use mixers, it’s easy to overmix.
Why is my pumpkin bread dry?
There are four main reasons why your bread can turn out dry. Firstly, you didn’t use enough liquid ingredients. Secondly, you failed to measure the right amount of flour and used too much. Thirdly, you overmixed. Lastly, you set the oven’t temperature too high. Make sure not to do these four things if you don’t want dry and hard loaf.
That being said, there are ways you can remedy this. One, you can make a sugar and water solution, 1 part sugar and 2 parts water. Using your toothpick, you can poke a few holes through the top of your bread. Afterwards, use a spray bottle to lightly drizzle the solution on your dry bread.
Alternatively, right after taking it out of the oven, you can place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. I know it sounds like a bad tip. However, trust me on this. Take your pumpkin bread out of the bread pan and leave it in your freezer for 30 minutes. Doing this will help it condense and give it a soft texture.
How do you fix undercooked pumpkin bread?
Simply put, you just place it back into the oven at the same temperature. Even if you’re dealing with already cooled bread, you can still reheat your oven and put it back in. Just make sure you don’t overbake it this time. Keep an eye on it!
Why does pumpkin bread crack on the top?
Don’t worry if your pumpkin bread cracks on top! It’s normal. In fact, it’s a good sign. This means your bread cooked through the middle and you won’t have to ingest raw batter. Basically, the crack happens because the top of your bread cooks first and forms a “crust.”
Why is my pumpkin bread not cooking in the middle?
I can give you three reasons why this is is the case. First, your oven was set at a temperature that was too high. This causes the sides to bake more quickly, leaving the middle raw. To fix this, you can adjust the temperature of the oven and make it lower. Alternatively, you can use aluminum foil and loosely cover your bread pan to the heat is more evenly distributed to the middle.
Second, you took your pumpkin bread out before you were supposed to. Your pumpkin bread may smell good, but lease resist the temptation to take it out even when it looks done. Always remember to do the toothpick test. If that toothpick doesn’t come out clean, leave your pumpkin bread alone. Give it time to bake properly.
Last, your batter wasn’t in room temperature when you started baking it. Maybe you started prepping the batter the night before or for whatever reason, it came straight from the fridge. Do not put it straight inside your oven. It will never end well.
