Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe

After years of research and combining recipes and techniques, I'm pleased to bring you the (World's) Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (in the World!), using fresh pumpkin! (opt)

There are so many ways you can customize this basic pumpkin bread recipe to highlight your own personal style, that you'll want to make multiple loaves just to experiment.

Remember, pumpkin bread freezes well, and makes great gifts for the holidays!

Step 1: Ingredients

Materials

Spice grater - I love this one, but it's this attachment that makes using whole nutmegs a breeze! 
Roasting pan (for fresh pumpkin)
Immersion blender
Mixing Bowls
Bread pan

Ingredients

• 5 oz. pumpkin puree - I used a fresh pumpkin, but you can buy a can* - I won't tell.
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Best if you can get fresh spices and grind them yourselves.  Yum!

Optional stir-ins

• Nuts
• Raisins
• Dried Cranberries
• Chocolate Chips

* If you buy canned pumpkin, either increase the recipe to make multiple loaves or store the extra pumpkin puree for other yummy recipes!


_{Scoochmaroo is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.}

Step 2: Bake Pumpkin

If you're using a fresh pumpkin, you'll need to cook, peel it, and mash it first!

Here are three great methods to choose from:

Baking Method

• Cut the pumpkin in half and discard the stem section and stringy pulp. Save the seeds to dry and roast.
• In a shallow baking dish, place the two halves face down and cover with foil.
• Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for about 1½ hours for a medium-sized sugar pumpkin, or until tender.
• Once the baked pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh or just peel off the rind, and puree or mash it.

Boiling Method

• Cut the pumpkin in half, discarding the stringy insides.
• Peel the pumpkin and cut it into chunks.
• Place in a saucepan and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil and cook until the pumpkin chunks are tender.
• Let the chunks cool, and then puree  or mash.

Microwave Method

• Cut the pumpkin in half, discarding the stringy insides.
• Microwave on high power for seven minutes per pound, turning pieces every few minutes to promote even cooking. Puree or mash.

You can refrigerate your fresh pumpkin puree for up to three days, or store it in the freezer up to six months.

Step 3: Prep

Preheat your ovens to 350^oF (180^oC)

Grease and flour a loaf pan.  Meaning, rub some butter on all the sides, then dump in some flour and shake it around until it sticks to all the butter, and dump the rest of the flour out of the pan.

My flour didn't take evenly, but the resulting loaf came out just great!

Step 4: Liquids

Combine the pumpkin puree, egg, vegetable oil, water, and sugar.

Blend!

Step 5: Dry-s

Combine carefully measured flour, baking soda, salt and ground spices.  Adjust to suit your own tastes.


Whisk together!

Step 6: Combine

Slowly stir the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture.

Oh boy it should smell good by now!

Pour into the prepared (greased and floured) loaf pan.

Step 7: Bake

Bake for 40-50 minutes.

Bread is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.


You won't believe how light and moist this pumpkin loaf turns out.  You'll never be able to eat that dense sticky stuff again.  And once your friend's try it, you'll be getting requests every week!  So share responsibly :D

Comments

[scoochmaroo]

Made this again today, and reduced the sugar by half. Still delicious!

[annieoakley]

I thought my other pumpkin bread recipe was good, but this one is moist and delicious without being sticky. In case anyone wants to know, for a double batch 10 oz. is one heaping cup of canned pumpkin. I also used whole wheat flour for some of the white flour, but my family is used to that. Thanks for a great recipe!

[scoochmaroo]

Thank you! I agree that this recipe produces something really special!

[baihe]

it looks very delicious, thank you for sharing it. I like baking, but I never cook it by myself and I just buy it from the bread shop. When I am free, I want to learn to cook, your article really can help me.

[L_Bow]

I just stumbled upon this instructable searching for a new pumpkin bread recipe - this one is amazing! My favorite pumpkin bread - and I've made a lot of different kinds! So light and moist and the perfect amount of sweetness! I did change it up slightly, but not much: I used half brown sugar and half white sugar and I increased the salt slightly because I was using kosher salt. I used canned pumpkin (but I'm looking forward to trying this with fresh pumpkin sometime!). I tripled the recipe to use the whole can - in one loaf I added chocolate chips and it's amazing. I also sprinkled some turbinado sugar on the top of two of the loaves. My three year old ate 3 slices and was still asking for more! It's taking all my self control not to eat the rest of the loaf. Thank you for making this instructable! This is now my go to pumpkin bread recipe!

[babybayrs]

I made the bread last week. It tasted really good only that I used 1/3 cups sugar. 1 Cup of sugar for 1 loaf of bread is unbelievable to me. Was 1 cup sugar a type error in your ingredients list or was it how much you originally used? Just curious.

[Sunnyfishnca]

I'm not a baker so I love having picture instructions to see what the product is supposed to look like as I go along :) I have to say, not only was this an easy recipe to follow, but the taste was wonderful. Our children even commented that it turned out excellent (and those poor souls are so good about trying stuff out whether or not it tasted good or not) haha
Thank you again for not only an easy recipe but the pictures to go with it!

[kirinwantsaskateboard]

Yum! Gotta make this for Christmas dinner!

[maltesergr8]

Oh yummm, I LOVE pumpkin bread!! Must try!

Beth

[AussieAnglerGal]

does pumpkin bread (both your recipes) taste sweet or is it more yeasty and bread-like?

[scoochmaroo]

Neither of them are yeast breads, so they don't have that traditional bread taste. This one is much more balanced and moist than the ice cream bread which is slightly denser and much more sweet.

[AussieAnglerGal]

ok thanks:)

[MsJan]

This is much like what I have made for many years and it is very good. I make extra and freeze it. Freezes very well. To keep it a little healthier you can cut back some on the sugar. many recipes you can cut up to half of the sugar. Just do it a lttle less each time than you will not be able to tell. Also since this has baking soda you can drop the salt. Just thought I would share what I have learned over all my years. :-)

[scoochmaroo]

Great tips, thanks!

[MsJan]

Very Welcome...

[Big Jimmers]

Hi

Well my little Grand Daughter was here (8 years old) and I saw your recipe for pumpkin bread. I told her I would just make a quick treat. I didn't even measure all the ingredients, I just guessed, with some experience...LOL

Well I really didn't take the bread serious, just real quick throwing in the ingredients etc.

WOW! The pumpkin bread is GREAT, moist, flavorful, my wife loves it and she is picky, picky, picky, she even mentioned it looked dry before I baked it. I did one thing different, I used all brown sugar, it makes things a bit richer. I am happy as can be, this is a great recipe.........Thanks a million ! One thing, it is a low cal recipe, right? Big Jimmers !

[scoochmaroo]

High praise! Thanks :D

[richpoore]

My wife made this with unrefined coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and it was great. We (with our two boys) have finished a loaf in the last hour 'n a half. :D

[scoochmaroo]

Fantastic!

[salsadancer]

Is that 5 oz. of pumpkin weight or volume? I have some frozen pumpkin I just took out; it's in a 3 lb. (48 oz.) weight cottage cheese container.