It's almost fall! And it's about time for all things pumpkin again. So I'm baking Amish pumpkin bread.
Made with pumpkin puree and simple pantry ingredients, this recipe for pumpkin spice bread makes an easy quick bread that is delightfully moist and tasty!! Not to mention, the heavenly smell that a delicious loaf of freshly baked pumpkin bread leaves in your kitchen! 🙂 Pumpkin and spices go together so well! And when fall comes around, I can't get enough of it.
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Ingredients
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a moist, tender texture. (I use pure cane sugar.)
- Oil (canola or other baking oil): Keeps the bread moist and soft, contributing to the light, tender crumb.
- Pumpkin puree: Provides moisture, natural sweetness, and flavor while giving the bread a rich, dense texture.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and help the bread rise, contributing to structure and a fluffy texture.
- Flour (all-purpose): Gives the bread its structure and helps it hold its shape.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents that help the bread rise, making it light and fluffy. (I highly recommend aluminum-free baking powder.)
- Cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice (ground): Add warm, aromatic spices that give the bread its classic pumpkin flavor.
- Pecans (optional): Add a crunchy texture and nutty flavor that complements the soft bread.
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Moist Easy Pumpkin Bread from Scratch With Store-bought or Homemade Pumpkin Pureé
This quick pumpkin bread recipe is also very easy to make. Making quick bread is similar to baking a cake. Simply mix the ingredients, pour the batter into loaf pans, and bake.
Actually, it's even simpler than making a cake because you don't need to make any frosting. And obviously, it's healthier too.
You can cook a pie pumpkin or butternut squash to make the puree. Just make sure, when using homemade pureé, that you drain any excess liquid.
For a quicker route, I don't see any problem with using store-bought canned pumpkin puree either. It will be great either way!
Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Quick Bread
Of course, pumpkin bread needs spices because honestly, that's where most of the flavor comes from. I chose to add pumpkin pie spice because I love that blend of spices. But if you prefer, you can add separate spices such as cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Or you can omit them and just add cinnamon.
Adding the pecans is also completely optional. So if you're feeling too tight to buy nuts, someone has an allergy, or you just don't like nuts, feel free to leave them out.
I like pumpkin bread with or without nuts, but I do enjoy the crunchy texture that they add. You can also substitute pecans for walnuts or your favorite nuts.
Differences in Loaf Pans
You can use any loaf pans that you have to bake this pumpkin bread. But there are obvious differences in loaf pans. The heaviness or thickness of your loaf pan can make a difference in how long your bread needs to bake.
True story: Years ago I decided to do some baking for extra cash. I asked around town, to see if anyone would be willing to sell bread, cinnamon rolls, etc. for me. I found a few people who were happy to display my baked goods in their shops. So I started selling baked goods.
My in-laws had owned a bakery for a while, so they gave me several of their extra bread pans to use. I also had a couple of my own that were gifted to me at our wedding, but they were thinner than the ones that my mom-in-law gave to me.
So by now, I had been baking bread for years, with the thinner pans, and knew exactly how long to bake my bread so that it came out perfectly done. So I baked my white bread for thirty minutes like I always had, and it looked done.
But I got a review that my bread was doughy in the center. Yikes! It was quite embarrassing to have sold doughy bread.
Anyway, all of that to say that whenever you're using heavy pans, you may need to add a few additional minutes to the baking time.
Difference Between Quick Bread and Yeast Bread
This Amish Pumpkin bread is a quick bread that's shaped into a loaf. But in case you're thinking, "What is a quick bread?" I'll answer that question for you. Quick bread is exactly what it sounds like. It's bread that is quick to make.
Most of us are familiar with two main types of bread. They are yeast bread and quick bread.
Loaf bread that's used for sandwiches, etc. is yeast bread. It takes several hours to make, from start to finish, because it needs resting time to allow the yeast to do its work.
Quick bread, however, is leavened with baking soda and/or baking powder instead of yeast. This category includes fluffy biscuits, cornbread, sweet bread such as zucchini bread or banana bread, muffins, etc.
Yeast bread also needs extra kneading to help develop the gluten and produce an elastic dough with a better structure.
With quick bread, however, you don't want to overmix the batter, as it will produce a chewy, heavy texture. Only mix to combine to create the best loaf of quick bread.
Amish quick breads are typically made with some sort of fruit or vegetable, so there are added nutritional benefits that you won't get from yeast bread. However, they usually contain more sugar too.
What to do With Amish Pumpkin Bread
Serve for Breakfast - I love to eat a slice of moist and tasty pumpkin bread for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee. (And yes, I have switched from drinking coffee every morning to drinking tea. I've fallen in love with chai tea and decided that I enjoy the flavor of tea better than coffee.)
So nowadays, you'll find me with a cup of hot chai and pumpkin bread. And what could be more perfect on these lovely cool mornings?
I typically eat my pumpkin bread plain, but you could also warm it a bit and spread some butter on the top if desired.
Enjoy as Dessert - Pumpkin bread can be served as a dessert with any meal. If you want to dress it up, spread a bit of whipped cream cheese or cream cheese frosting onto the slices of bread.
Holiday Gifts - This easy pumpkin spice loaf is also great to share with friends as a holiday gift. You could buy the mini loaf pans, and divide the batter into several small loaves to give away to elderly neighbors.
(Fill the well-greased pans about ⅔ full. I haven't actually tried this. But I'm guessing that this recipe would make approximately 8 mini loaves. And I would start checking for doneness after about 20 - 25 minutes.)
I hope you enjoy this delicious Amish pumpkin bread as much as I do. If you try it, I would love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
Check out my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ c. sugar
- 1 c. canola oil (or your favorite baking oil)
- 2 c. pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 4 large eggs
- 3 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 c. chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Grease and flour (or place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom for easy removal) two 9 x 5" loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs until well creamed.2 ¼ c. sugar, 1 c. canola oil (or your favorite baking oil), 2 c. pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling), 4 large eggs
- In a seperate bowl, mix the dry ingredients.3 ¼ c. all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and only mix to combine.
- If desired, stir chopped nuts into the batter. You can also sprinkle some nuts over the top.1 c. chopped pecans, optional
- Divide the batter between two well-greased bread pans.
- Bake (in the middle of the oven) for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a couple of crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and let the loaves rest in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container or bag. (I bag mine before they are completely cool because it helps to keep them moist.)
- Can be stored at room temperature for up to three days. Refrigerate for up to a week.
- This bread also freezes well. Tightly wrap and freeze one loaf for later. And you can even slice and individually wrap the bread if you want to remove only a slice at a time. Just make sure that it is well-wrapped.
Anna
Delicious and moist!
JOANN
I've made this several times this fall...SO GOOD! I've been using a bit of Boiled Cider Glaze to top it off (the recipe is on the King Arthur Flour website). Thank you!
Anna
That glaze sounds good. Glad you're enjoying it!