Micah A. Leal
Pumpkin bread needs no bells and whistles. In fact, we’d argue that the simpler the pumpkin bread, the better it’s probably going to be. With this philosophy in mind, we give you a recipe for pumpkin bread that requires 10 minutes of hands-on time, two bowls, and a whisk. Make no mistake, while our recipe is very easy, it yields something wonderfully delicious.
Pumpkin bread should always have a handful of things: a mixture of fall spices, some kind of oil in the batter, and pure pumpkin puree. We’ve tested different ratios of spices and landed on a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to perfume the flour before it’s whisked into the wet ingredients. These spices are familiar to our palates when eating anything “fall flavored,” and they enhance the sweetness of the bread while complimenting the savoriness of the pumpkin. Melted butter lends richness to the bread and melted coconut oil keeps the interior of the loaf moist and soft. The combination of these two ingredients prevents a slice of the bread from ever feeling dry, and for us, that’s an essential element of a good pumpkin bread. We love this bread just the way it is, and we’re convinced that you will too—but if you feel like folding a cup of chocolate chips into the batter, we won’t stop you.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line 2 standard-size loaf pans with parchment paper; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Step 2
In another bowl, whisk together melted butter, coconut oil, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin until mixture is homogenous. Add dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated and no pockets of flour remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared loaf pans.
Step 3
Bake until the top has browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely in pan before removing and slicing.
Chef's Notes
Feel free to use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil, if desired.
