Got some extra pumpkin hanging around? You should learn how to make pumpkin bread.
Maybe you're like us and always buy waaay too much food around the holidays. Then you do a pantry challenge and during your pantry inventory you find a can or twelve of pumpkin. Kinda like when we had extra bananas for banana bread and zucchini noodles for our zucchini bread.
Pumpkin bread is super easy to make and is one of our favorite recipes when we're craving something a little carby.
How to make pumpkin bread from scratch
You will likely already have everything you need, but here is a supply list:
What you will need
canola spray (or any flavorless cooking spray)
Ingredients
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 stick butter
1 can pumpkin pie filling (puree 15 oz)
2 cup sugar
3 cups flour
3 eggs
Directions
First things first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Now combine all of your small portion spices and dry ingredients. That includes your baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Put them all in a small dish and set them to the side.
Melt your butter in the microwave or on the stove top. It only takes a minute or 2 in the microwave so we usually go that route.
In a large mixing bowl, combine your butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Use your hand mixer on the lowest setting and blend everything together. You will want to go easy so you don't whip your eggs too much. Just whip enough to get everything good and mixed together.
Now you will add in your can of pumpkin. You can also use fresh pumpkin as long as you have 15 ounces pureed. Using your mixer, mix this into the butter/sugar mix.
After mixing in the pumpkin, add your spices into your flour. Pour them all into your pumpkin batter and hand mix. You can use a spatula during this part.
Hand mixing is preferable here for 2 reasons. The first is it will keep you from over whipping the eggs in the mixture. The second is you don't want to turn a spinning machine loose in a pile of powder. Trust me on the second point.
Pull out your loaf pan and spray it with your choice in cooking spray. Now, pour your batter into the loaf pan. It should flow freely but you may need to use your spatula to get everything into the pan.
Put the pan into the already preheated oven and set your time for an hour and 10 minutes. You will want to check on this periodically to make sure it is not burning.
When you think it is getting close, stick a butter knife or toothpick into the center of your bread. If it comes out with batter still on it, add a few more minutes. Repeat until the knife/toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once your bread is cool you can place it in your bread slicer and use a bread knife to cut thick slices.
Common Questions
Is pumpkin bread healthy?
In moderation it is not too terribly bad for you. Obviously, everyone's body and nutrition requirements are a bit different. You can decrease the amount of sugar in the recipe and make a bit healthier as well.
Why is my pumpkin bread dry?
Most often, dryness is due to being overcooked. If your bread is coming out dry, decrease your cooking time and check regularly with a toothpick or knife to make sure your bread is not cooking too quickly.
Can I freeze pumpkin bread?
You can. Just allow it to cool before cutting. Then put the slices into a large freezer safe bag, seal, and place in freezer. You can put it in the fridge overnight to thaw.
