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A freshly baked loaf of Pumpkin Bread, partially sliced on a rustic wooden cutting board, with a warm, inviting glow.

Classic Spiced Pumpkin Bread

A wonderfully moist and fragrant pumpkin bread, brimming with warm autumn spices. This easy-to-follow recipe yields a tender loaf, perfect for a cozy breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice total)
Wet Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 9x5 inch Loaf Pan
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Medium Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Wire cooling rack

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
Combine Dry Ingredients
  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Combine Wet Ingredients
  1. In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs until smooth and well-incorporated.
  2. Stir in the pure pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until the mixture is uniform and smooth.
Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures
  1. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few streaks of flour are acceptable. Overmixing can lead to a tough bread.
Bake the Pumpkin Bread
  1. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
  2. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
Cooling
  1. Once baked, remove the loaf pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before carefully removing the bread from the pan.
  2. Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely on the wire rack before slicing and serving. This helps the bread set and prevents it from crumbling.

Notes

For variations, you can add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) or chocolate chips to the batter before baking. Store pumpkin bread at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.