Pumpkin Bread
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Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!
My grandmother clipped this pumpkin bread recipe from a magazine over 50 years ago, and it is my most-cherished family recipe. One of my clearest childhood memories is baking the loaves with my mom and carting them off to every neighborhood potluck and holiday party. Now I bake pumpkin bread with my own kids, and it’s just as wonderful today as it was back then. It’s easy to make — just a bit of mixing and stirring, pop it in the oven, and, in about an hour, you’ll have a house smelling of sweet autumn spices and two scrumptious, pumpkiny loaves.
Above, you can see the original recipe from my grandmother’s recipe box—it’s definitely seen its share of spills! After a bit of research, I discovered that the recipe was first published in the McCalls Cook Book (Random House, 1963). It is a typical sweet quick bread, similar to banana bread or cranberry nut bread, leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda instead of yeast. Quick bread batter can often be used to make muffins, and my pumpkin muffins are nearly identical to this bread, but with the addition of a pecan streusel topping.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Bread
How To Make Pumpkin Bread
Begin by combining the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. I like to add everything in neat little piles in case I lose track of what I’ve added.
Whisk well and set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat until just combined. It will look a little crumbly.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Continue beating for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the pumpkin.
Beat until combined. It will look a little curdled or grainy — that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.
And beat on low speed until just combined.
Transfer the batter to loaf pans.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let the loaves cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
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Video Tutorial
Pumpkin Bread
Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15-oz) can 100% pure pumpkin (I use Libby's)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour (alternatively, use a baking spray with flour in it, such as Pam with Flour or Baker's Joy).
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, a few minutes. Beat in the pumpkin. The mixture might look grainy and curdled at this point -- that's okay.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
- Turn the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Fresh out of the oven, the loaves have a deliciously crisp crust. If they last beyond a day, you can toast individual slices to get the same fresh-baked effect.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 166
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hello! I just made this bread. The taste and smell are to die for! However, mine completed crumbled apart and does not resemble a loaf. I am wondering what I must have done wrong? I did not alter the recipe, but I did use a double loaf pan and took took it out at 1 hr 10 min.
Hi Francesca, I have a feeling it has to do with the pan – what do you mean by double loaf pan?
I took one loaf out of the pan too soon after baking and it crumbled. Waited a couple hours on the second pan and it came out beautifully. Will be making this recipe many times between now and Thanksgiving!
I made these loaves yesterday- flavourful and tender. Great recipe. My oven must run hot because they were perfect after 60 minutes. Thank you
What adjustments need to be made for higher altitudes?
Hi Judy, Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking but I always refer readers to this reference from King Arthur as a guide. Hope that helps!
Whenever I make sweet breads at high altitude (I am at 6200 feet) I just 1/2 the soda and they turn out great. Otherwise, they rise too fast and fall in the middle and the middle is uncooked.
I still had a can of pumpkin leftover from last Thanksgiving so I tried this bread. It’s one of my family’s favorites. Great recipe! I added a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts just because we like a little crunch. The flavor was wonderful. Looking forward to making it again during the Holidays!
beautiful. the best pumpkin loaf yet. and it makes 2….
thank you for all you do and share.
Oh, my! This pumpkin bread recipe really is amazingly good! Very moist, beautiful color, and as an added bonus, the house smells wonderfully welcoming as it bakes. The recipe is very straightforward and easy to follow; I did add chopped walnuts to one loaf’s top – a nice optional addition. Thanks, Jenn! This one’s most definitely a keeper!
I sent you an email just now but had not finished it…as a celiac I use gluten free flour (President’s choice) for all my recipes with excellent results, so. I was very disappointed to make your pumpkin and your zucchini loaves only to find that they did not rise and looked like brownie bars in height! They tasted nice but did not present as the loaf slices I assumed they would!
Any advice as to what went wrong? My ingredients are fresh.
Thanks
Pat Pugh
pughr@rogers.com
Hi Pat, I’m so sorry that I can’t be more helpful but I don’t have any experience baking with gluten-free flour. I don’t think anything went wrong on your end – it’s just that baking is chemistry and substitutes often don’t work. I suggest using recipes that are gluten-free and tested with gluten free products. Have you tried this site?
Pat, I’ve had success with Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend (wheat free-gluten free-non dairy). One time I had to make two carrot cakes for a baby shower (one guest was celiac). I used the same recipe, no changes except for the flour. No problem! If you’re in the NCR, Rainbow Foods carries it.
Oh. My. Gosh. Holy crumb beagle this is good bread! I eyeballed the nutmeg measurement and baked it in a single bundt pan rather than two loaf pans(and adjusted the cook time accordingly), but followed the recipe exactly other than that. I took the bread to work as a thank you to those who have helped me with transportation and got compliments from everyone who tried it!
Oh, actually, I also dumped a bunch of chocolate chips in, because I always do that with my sweet breads, now that I think about it…
Hi Alice, just wondering how long it took to bake in a single pan?
With the exception of the cloves, I followed this recipe exactly as written (including the Libby’s pure pumpkin). The bread didn’t even last 24 hours in my house after it was baked! It was the perfect breakfast, snack and dessert. I’ve made it a couple of times and it’s always easy and turns out perfect. I was feeling a bit adventurous and added a confection sugar glaze on top. AMAZING!
I have made this bread many times and it’s just fabulous. I followed the recipe as written but I did add the topping from your Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Muffins and it was just amazing. Everyone loved the addition. This is my go to recipe for sure.
Heather