Fall Calls for Pumpkin Bread

Since the pandemic began, I’ve made a point to fulfill a multi-year goal of baking more often. It’s relaxing, allows me to get creative, and it satisfies my ever-evolving sweet tooth. Now that the leaves have started turning, it seems as if there’s only one thing to do: bake something pumpkin. In this case I’ve opted for a classic pumpkin bread.

My husband is quite the amateur chef, so even though baking is more my thing, he often ends up in the kitchen as my right hand guy. For this pumpkin bread bake, we did an adaptation of a recipe from once upon a chef who has all sorts of tasty recipes. We did a trial run of her recipe last week and decided to make a few tweaks this time around to fit our preferences. For our most recent batch, we used less sugar and added some texture by including pumpkin seeds and salt flakes on top. If you’re feeling something even sweeter, you could add a few ounces of semisweet chocolate chips to the batter and skip the pumpkin seeds + salt on top.

Here’s what you need to know to make this delicious, versatile, pumpkin-y heaven that can be enjoyed in the morning with coffee, in the afternoon to tide you over until dinner, or as a late night snack. I bet your kids will love it too! I know our dog, Gus, is a big fan 😊

Mellie Lutz

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

Mellie Lutz

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (to add on top of loaves)
• 1 teaspoon salt flakes (to add on top of loaves)
• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

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  Mellie Lutz

  1. 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).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. If adding chocolate chips, this is the time to incorporate.
  5. Turn the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly. This is where we added the pumpkin seeds and salt flakes to the top of the loaf. Then 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.
  6. 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.

About the Author

Mellie Lutz

Mellie is Director, Marketing for Visit Seattle. Away from the office, she enjoys soaking up sunny days with her (new) husband and golden retriever, Gus. She'll always have the story about how she got married during a global pandemic.

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