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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Excellent recipe. Much like the one I had cut out of the newspaper paper years ago and lost somewhere along the way.
I would advise to shorten the cooking time if you are using a dark pan.
This is my second time to make this recipe and I love it!! I only had 1 pan so I only made 1 loaf which took a little longer to bake, but it didn’t change the outcome. I like a crunchier crust with a moist center personally and this did the job!! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
I used some brown sugar and added a little vanilla. I loved this. My dogs did too.
I just made this loaf on a rainy Sunday in Vancouver, Canada and it was perfect on a day like today. I was surprised at how easy it was to make and how delicious and moist it is. I’m definitely going to try some more of your recipes and will be making this one again.
Super good bread. I did make a couple alterations though. I did not have cloves so I added 1/2 tsp of mace and 1/2 tsp of ginger instead. I also added a tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of maple extract. Then I finished it off with a brown sugar, pecan oatmeal crumble topping for some texture. Absolutely delicious! Can’t want to share one of the loaves with my brother and S-I-L.
This recipe makes THE BEST PUMPKIN BREAD! I made it to serve houseguests at Thanksgiving and they loved it. My daughter in law asked the next day if there was any left. I look forward to making more recipes from once upon a chef!
If making mini loaves how long should they bake?
Hi Diana, I’d start checking them at about 35 minutes. Enjoy!
I have no idea what I did wrong. I followed the directions to a T and my loaves didnt come out very tall. They tasted delicious though. I did use fresh pumpkin that I had frozen from Thanksgiving.
Hi Debby, You may not have done anything wrong — these loaves really don’t rise very high. (They’re more like a cake than a quick bread.)
Is it possible the fresh was more wet than the canned?? I’m still baking my two loaves and they have a great rise on them. Not too high, but just like the picture. Try it with canned next time. Can’t wait to taste!
Hi, if I wanted to substitute pumpkin pie spice for the different spices how much should I use?
Hi Carmen, you’ll need 3 teaspoons (1 Tbsp). Enjoy!
Just made this recipe and it is a big hit! I also love these older recipes from a couple generations ago. My question is about altering ingredients. People weren’t as aware of the health consequences of flour and sugar. Have you ever tried reducing amount of sugar in this recipe or altering any of the flour content?
Hi Debbie, glad to hear you enjoyed this! A number of readers have commented that they’ve cut the sugar by a 1/2 cup and have still gotten good results. If you’d like to try using some whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose, I’d start out by trying it with half all-purpose and half whole wheat. If you still like the texture, you can continue to tweak the ratios when you make the bread again. Hope that helps!
Easy to make – and delicious!
Great pumpkin flavor! I don’t usually modify recipes but felt inclined to do so with this bread. First of all, I only made one loaf, so I cut all ingredients in half as suggested. Based on previous reviewers comments, I reduced the amount of ground cloves and then increased the amount of cinnamon. I also used half white and half brown sugar. I think I undercooked it just a bit because the texture of the middle seems a little eggy to me. I have pinned the recipe as I will definitely be making it again!
Well, I’ll begin by saying that this is a tasty and moist pumpkin bread. Both my husband and I enjoyed it. However, I made it exactly as directed and it didn’t have any wow factor. Maybe some toasted pecans would have helped. It just seemed to have this smooth texture with no mouth feel.