I should probably save this for October, but to be honest, we eat pumpkin bread all year because it’s so damn good. It pairs just as well with iced coffee as it does with a hot cup of chai. My friend Maggie gave me this recipe and loaned me a gigantic loaf pan to fit all of the batter We called it the “foot pan” since her husband used it to soak his feet. I’m not squeamish, but I did give that pan a good rinse before use.
Sadly, I had to return the foot pan and went back to making this in my normal 9 x 5 loaf pan. It is such a huge amount of batter that I fill the pan two thirds of the way and use the rest of the batter to make muffins.
Ingredients
For Bread 1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree 1/2 cup melted butter (115 grams) 3 large eggs 1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger Two pinches of ground cloves 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour To Finish 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. I use 9 x 5, which is a little small for this recipe but it’s all I’ve got.
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, eggs and sugar until smooth.
Add in baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and mix until smooth. Add flour and stir in until just mixed.
Scoop into prepared pan, about two-thirds of the way full and smooth the top. Use any leftover batter to make muffins (this would be a good time to add chocolate chips, if you are so inclined). In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over top of batter before baking.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out mostly clean, with just a few moist crumbs. Cool it in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove. Don’t be alarmed if some of the topping falls off. There is plenty that will stick.
Note
I always store my quick breads in the loaf pan rather than placing them in ziplocks or covering with cling wrap because I like my top to stay crunchy. You can cover the cut end with a square of tinfoil to keep it moist.