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.
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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I just made this tonite, and it was soo moist and delicious! While making it, my 7 yr old son said, “Pumpkin Bread, Gross!” While it was baking, he said, “What smells so good?” Then I got the “Mmmm Mmmm!” seal of approval after he tentatively took a bite. Definitely will be my go to Pumpkin Bread recipe. Soo easy to make and soo yummy! This is the first time I have been “moved” to write a recipe review. Thanks for sharing!
I forgot to mention I didn’t have cloves, so I substituted 3 tbsp of Spice Islands Pumpkin Pie Spice, since it has Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Mace and Cloves. Will try the tbsp of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves next time. The pumpkin Pie Spice had a delicious flavor.
The amount of cloves called for in this recipe is way too much! The cloves overpower the taste. I recommend cutting the amount of cloves down by 2/3 or eliminating altogether. Otherwise, it came out well and was moist but more cake like than a traditional pumpkin bread. I added some chopped pecans and golden raisins.
I just made this tonight and it was a big hit! Everyone LOVED it! As a bonus, the house smells amazing!
So strange- I followed the recipe exactly but this was waaaaay too “clovy/ spicey” for my taste. I usually make downeast pumpkin bread from allrecipes and it’s so much better. This just wasn’t good. I don’t understand the great reviews. Too bad!
Same here!
Why to much cloves!! Unless you really like cloves, cut it down to
1/8! Made this and all I could taste was the cloves. Threw it out and started over.
Wow I love this bread! I did make a little adjustment based on personal preference.
1 Cup of Sugar and 1 Cup of Golden Brown Sugar, and reduced the cloves to 3/4 teaspoon.
I live at 7900 ft so added extra 3 Tbsp flour and a teaspoon of Vanilla. Normally Id add more liquid if reducing the sugar but felt that 2 cups sugar would be ok and it was.
Thank you Jen, I love your recipes!
I made the bread this morning and my whole house still smells like Fall! It kind of feels like Fall today in Arlington, VA, so it’s a win-win! The bread turned out beautifully. I used a Le Creuset stoneware loaf pan and a standard metal loaf pan. I lined both with a sheet of parchment for easy removal and sprayed with baking spray. Both loaves finished around the same time. I kept the LC pan in the oven after turning the heat off – because the skewer was about 90% clean when I tested it after 65 minutes – and it is extremely moist and flavorful. I am not a huge fan of clove flavor, so I used only 1/2 teaspoon, and it is perfect. Not too sweet, either, with the 2 cups of sugar. Definitely a keeper!!
This made my house smell wonderful. I can’t rave enough about this Amazing bread. Even my picky husband loved it and put some in a baggy to take to work tomorrow. That’s a huge compliment! Love your cookbook and all of your recipes.
Made this with butternut squash! Roasted it first and used it in place of the pumpkin. Also added allspice and it was quite delicious! Will definitely make again.
Came out great! Glass pans = 65 minutes for me. Thanks!