Classic Pumpkin Bread Recipe: 5 Baking Tips for Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is a quick bread made with pumpkin purée and warm baking spices. Like zucchini bread, this popular quick bread is made with a leavener, such as baking soda or baking powder (instead of yeast), which is responsible for its rise, while the pumpkin purée imparts a moist, rich texture. Pumpkin bread is a basic format that lends itself well to additional formats, like pumpkin muffins or mini loaves.

The best pumpkin bread is essentially a blank slate: Here’s how to execute it perfectly.

1. 1. Mix the batter properly. Quick breads don’t rely on yeast to develop a moist, springy crumb—that comes from leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda. As a result, avoid over (or under) blending the dry and wet ingredients. Overmixing will lead to a tough crumb, and undermixing can result in uneven air bubbles and pockets of undercooked batter.
2. 2. Experiment with mix-ins. Pumpkin bread is versatile enough to support a sweet or savory flavor profile, much like banana bread, its quick bread counterpart. Enhance either end of the spectrum by folding in additional ingredients like chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, dried fruit like cranberries or raisins, or a swirl of cream cheese, just before you bake.
3. 3. Using pre-made ingredients. In a pinch, pre-blended pumpkin pie spice can stand in for individual spices. If you plan to use a pre-blended mix, opt for pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin pie filling, a pre-seasoned and sweetened mixture that’s typically poured directly into a pie crust.
4. 4. Using homemade pumpkin purée vs. canned. Roasting or steaming fresh pumpkin into a purée is much easier to do when making a quick bread. The main difference between the two tends to be textural: In a pie, where velvety, smooth texture is the center of attention, you don’t want the potential of stringy purée, but the long baking time and craggy crumb of pumpkin bread will incorporate “imperfect” purées without issue.
   
5. 5. Swap the squash. Think of pumpkin bread as a seasonal template: Any similar sweet squash, like roasted and puréed butternut squash, can stand in for the pumpkin flavor.