My Favorite Classic Pumpkin Bread

Classic Pumpkin Bread is a fall favorite that whips up quickly and yields two loaves: one to keep, and one to give!

Classic Pumpkin Bread

Here’s a great little baking project that won’t take up much of your time!

This no-frills spiced pumpkin bread is tops in my book. It’s sweet, tender and speckled with walnuts throughout. The recipe makes two big loaves, which means you can share the love by giving one away to your neighbor. I think that’s important. Even if we can’t cure the world’s ills we can still give a loaf of pumpkin bread to our neighbor, and that’s a step in the right direction.

Classic Pumpkin Bread

A warm slice of this classic pumpkin bread with butter or cream cheese makes a mighty fine breakfast, but lately I’ve been eating it with goat cheese and fresh figs. I love this time of year because I’m often handed free home-grown produce from friends and acquaintances, and the super sweet figs pictured were one such gift (thank you, Sarah!).

Classic Pumpkin Bread

Grab your largest mixing bowl, because this recipe makes a lot of batter! You’ll also need two 9×5-inch loaf pans. The batter is so fluffy and beautiful going into the pans. I use the end of a rubber spatula to tap it down into the pans for even baking. As the bread bakes, it will develop that characteristic split on top that lets you know you’re on the right track.

Classic Pumpkin Bread

The loaves usually take about one hour to bake and during their oven stay you’ll benefit from pumpkin spice aromatherapy. I make this recipe many times throughout fall and winter. It requires no extra decoration, toppings or frostings, but I will sometimes sieve a spoonful of powdered sugar on top to make it pretty.

Related recipe: Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding with Maple Toffee Sauce

Classic Pumpkin Bread

Heather Baird
The pumpkin bread is soft and lightly spiced with walnuts speckling the slices. This recipe makes two 9×5 inch loaves: one to give and one to keep.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • 9×5 inch loaf pans (2)

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 1/2 cups 340g, 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups 600g granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup 60 ml vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups 540g, 19oz. pumpkin puree (canned is fine)
  • 3 1/2 cups 420g all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain salt
  • 1 teaspoon each:
  • baking soda cinnamon, nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups 170g broken walnut halves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9×5-inch baking pans with flour-based baking spray (or grease and flour pans).
  • Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Scrape down the bowl and mix again briefly.
  • Add the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg to the butter mixture. Mix well on low speed until just combined. Using a large rubber spatula scrape down the bowl and mix again until well combined. Fold in the walnuts.
  • Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes to1 hour. Loaves are done with they are well-browned and a toothpick tester inserted in their centers comes out clean.
  • Turn the loaves out onto wire cooling racks. Serve slices warm or at room temperature.
  • Store loaves in large zip-top bags with the air removed, or double wrapped in plastic wrap.
Keyword cinnamon, pumpkin puree, walnut halves
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
7 years ago

This looks fab! Will have to try out the recipe next time 🙂

Rxx

http://www.peppermintdolly.com

Dave King
Dave King
7 years ago

My breakfast incomplete without Pumpkin bread. Just made this for myself and love it. Thanks so much!

http://www.kitchensoaktanks.com

Anonymous
Anonymous
7 years ago

made the loaf, but it came out a bit wet even after leaving it for longer than 1 hour, I cut the sugar and it still came out super sweet. I don't think I would make this again, but thank-you for the post, love the blog and you always have such creative dessert.

Becky
Becky
7 years ago

Such a wonderful recipe! Thank you so much for sharing, everyone at work raved over it! 🙂

Anonymous
Anonymous
7 years ago

This was sooooo good! Thank you for the recipe. A keeper!