One of my favorite recipes in the fall is Pumpkin Bread.  Each fall, when the weather starts to change, I reach for my recipe box to find this recipe.  This bread is moist, dense, lightly spiced with warm fall spices, and chock full of nuts, but feel free to replace the nuts with pumpkin’s best friend, chocolate chips. 

I originally posted this Pumpkin Bread recipe back in 2016 but thought it was time for a repost with some updated pictures and tweaks.  I make this bread at least 3 to 4 times throughout the Fall and Winter and it’s extremely easy to make.  It takes only minutes to mix the batter and get it into the oven.

This recipe makes 1 loaf of bread, but it can be doubled for two loaves.  The nuts can also be replaced with your favorite chocolate chips if you prefer.

TIPS:

  • Do not overmix the batter.  The dry ingredients get added last for a reason.  Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
  • Use pure pumpkin puree from a can, not pumpkin pie filling.  There’s a big difference.  Pumpkin pie filling already has all the spices and other ingredients added for the purpose of making pumpkin pie.  We need to use pure puree and add our own spices.  If you choose to use homemade pumpkin puree, make sure you squeeze out the added moisture.
  • Feel free to add your favorite nuts.  It doesn’t have to be pecans like I used.  You can also replace the nuts with chocolate chips if you prefer.  Do your own thing!
  • My original recipe called for solid Crisco.  It is a very old recipe and back in the day, solid Crisco was often used in baked goods.  I decided to test this recipe with butter, then liquid shortening and I felt that liquid shortening added the most moisture.  I ruled out butter because I felt it added heaviness to the bread and with the overwhelming flavor of pumpkin, I could not really taste the butter flavor.

Recommended for this recipe,

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Pumpkin Bread

  • Author: Cindy Gibbs @ My Country Table
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 90
  • Total Time: 105
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This Pumpkin Bread is moist and flavored with warm Fall spices.  It’s made here with nuts, but feel free to add chocolate chips if you prefer.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 2/3 cups sifted all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pure Pumpkin puree*
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a large loaf pan with shortening. I used a 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75″ Wilton loaf pan.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, salt and baking powder and set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, sugars, eggs, pumpkin and water and mix on low speed for about one minute until combined. The batter will be thin.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for about thirty seconds, just long enough to almost incorporate the flour. Add the nuts and mix for an additional thirty seconds to combine.
  6. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and gently shake the pan back and forth to level batter.
  7. Bake for about one hour and fifteen minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist dense crumbs on it.  Do not over mix.
  8. Allow bread to sit for 5 minutes.  Run a sharp knife around the edges and invert bread onto a wire rack to cool.
  9. Use a serrated knife to slice bread into thick slices.

Notes

  • Use pure Pumpkin Puree in this recipe. Do not use Pumpkin Pie Mix.
  • Store in an airtight container. This bread should stay fresh for up to five days. However, it never does last more than a day in my house.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled for two loaves.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 8

Keywords: pumpkin bread, bread, pumpkin, Fall breads, Fall recipes,