Pumpkin bread is a traditional food that grandmothers often made. In the modern day, many people might not have even heard of it. If you haven't made it yet, try it out today! It's a soft bread with an amazing pumpkin flavor. You can spice it up with warm nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

It is very easy and quick to make pumpkin bread. You don't even need a mixer; so, it will take only 10 minutes to prepare and put it in the oven. You can serve it warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Everytime you will get the same taste. As the recipe uses a lot of pumpkin your bread will be filled with the wonderful pumpkin flavor.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – 1.75 cups
• Baking soda – 1 teaspoon
• Ground cinnamon – 2 teaspoons
• Ground nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon
• Ground ginger – ¼ teaspoon
• Ground cinnamon – ¼ teaspoon
• Ground cloves – ¼ teaspoon
• Salt – ¾ teaspoon
• Granulated sugar – ½ cup
• Brown sugar – ¾ cup
• Eggs – 2, at room temperature
• Pumpkin puree – 1.5 cups, fresh or canned
• Oil – ½ cup
• Orange juice – ¼ cup

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2

Prepare the baking pan by greasing it with a non-stick spray. Use a 9X5-inch loaf pan.

Step 3

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl till everything mixes properly. In another bowl mix eggs and sugar.

Step 3

Add pumpkin puree, oil, and juice to the egg mixture.

Step 4

Now pour these wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to mix them. Don't over-mix.

Step 5

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Place the pan in the lower rack of the oven to prevent browning of the bread.

Step 6

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with an aluminum foil when you are halfway through your baking process. It's a precautionary measure to avoid browning of the bread. Insert a toothpick in the middle section of the loaf to see if the bread is done.

Step 7

Let the bread cool. Then slice it and serve.

Variations

• Nuts: roasted walnuts and pecans.
• Chocolate chunks: chocolate chunks or chocolate chips. You can use dark, milk, or semisweet chocolate.
• Dried fruit: golden raisins, cranberries.
• Frosting: cream cheese frosting.

Pro Tips

• Weigh the flour always. If you use too much flour, the bread will become dry.
• Use freshly grated nutmeg for the best flavor.
• Use eggs that are at room temperature instead of taking out cold eggs from the fridge. The room-temperature eggs will mix better. So, if you always put your eggs in the fridge, take them out 30 minutes before you start baking.
• You must not over-mix the batter. If you over-mix you will get a tough loaf.
• To prevent the browning of the bread, cover it.
• Don't use butter instead of oil. The bread will be softer if you use oil.

How to store

You can store the pumpkin bread for up to 3 days at room temperature if you keep it inside an airtight container. If you put it in the fridge then it will be in good condition for up to 5 days. You can cut the loaf into slices and wrap each of the slices with a plastic wrap. Then put the slices in zip-lock freezer bags.

Pumpkin bread is a good breakfast treat that you can have with your hot cup of coffee. It can be a great homemade gift for Thanksgiving or other occasions. Pumpkin bread contains vitamin C, beta-carotene, antioxidants, and potassium. It helps to reduce diabetes and hypertension. Pumpkin bread is one of the healthy recipes you can have for your breakfast.