Moist Pumpkin Bread with Pecans or Walnuts

What a lovely start to October it has been.  I’ve reacquainted myself with my collection of jeans that seems to have somehow shrunken in the closet ever so slightly.  I mean… jeans shrink from neglect right?  It’d definitely not that I’ve moved to New Orleans, land of the beignet.  I have also rediscovered my awkwardly large collection of scarves.  Scarves are blankets we can wear in public… of course I own too many.

With the hint of crisp in the air, I’m also getting into pumpkin.  There’s no use fighting it.  Since I’m rediscovering old things as new, I thought I would remake my standard pumpkin bread recipe.  It offers a familiar comfort that I’m looking for these days.  This time I’ve used melted butter instead of vegetable oil and added the slightest dash of black pepper for intrigue.

Leaves are changing.  We’re discovering we own too many scarves and too small jeans.  We’re making our own Pumpkin Pie Spice.  We’re drinking hot lattes.  All signs point to Pumpkin Bread.  Let’s just be here.

I am very pleased to report that this recipe is both simple and versatile.  It also falls under the categories ‘delicious’ and ‘comforting’ so… we’re winning.  I used melted butter (because DUH), though you can substitute vegetable / canola / or coconut oil if you have something against butter (it’s cool…).  The egg can also be substituted with a flax seed egg.  That leaves us at just about vegan, doesn’t it?

This is my favorite part:  the coming together.

Egg, melted butter, and pumpkin puree are whisked together while the flour, leavening, and spices are tossed together.

Brown sugar is stirred into the wet ingredients along with orange juice and vanilla extract.  The result is a velvety thick pumpkin mixture.

Stirring the wet ingredients into the dry.  It’s teamwork between these two.

The batter is thick, sweet, and spiced.  I spooned it into a parchment lined baking sheet.

I topped the batter with walnuts before baking though you can use pecans, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds according to what you have in your pantry.

Forty five minutes is just enough time to caffeinate, over caffeinate, and soften a bit of butter to spread on the warm bread.

This bread could easily be our Autumn staple… right up there with our many many scarves.

Here’s my go-to pumpkin bread, the one I make on repeat all fall. It’s soft, deeply spiced, and stays moist for days. A few notes before you start.

What makes pumpkin bread so moist?

Pumpkin bread stays moist because pumpkin puree is basically built-in moisture, and it works with the fat (I use melted butter here, though oil works too) to keep every slice soft for days. The one rule: don’t overmix. Stir the wet into the dry just until it comes together, a few lumps are fine. Overmixing builds gluten and gives you a tough, rubbery loaf.

My secret ingredient: a little black pepper

Here’s the twist I love: a tiny pinch of black pepper in the batter. You won’t taste pepper exactly, but it wakes up the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and makes the whole loaf taste warmer and a little more grown up. Trust me on this one.

Make it your way (chocolate chips, cream cheese swirl, or nuts)

This batter is a great base. Fold in a cup of chocolate chips for chocolate chip pumpkin bread, swirl in a quick sweetened cream cheese layer before baking, or keep it classic and top with pecans, walnuts, or pepitas like I do here. All of it works.

How to make it gluten free

Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend and the recipe works just as well, same moist crumb. That’s the only change you need.

Can you make pumpkin bread into muffins?

Yes, and it’s a great idea when you want single servings. Divide the batter into a lined muffin tin (fill about three-quarters full) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. You’ll get about a dozen.

How to store and freeze pumpkin bread

Wrapped well, it keeps on the counter for 2 to 3 days and in the fridge up to a week (it actually tastes even better on day two). To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf tightly and freeze up to 3 months, thaw on the counter. Slices freeze great for grab-and-go breakfasts.

More pumpkin favorites

If you’re on a pumpkin kick (same), don’t miss my cozy pumpkin muffins, my brown butter pumpkin texas sheet cake, and these pumpkin pecan scones. And if you like to mix your own warm spice, here’s my pumpkin pie spice blend.

Pumpkin Bread with Pecans or Walnuts

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• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• big pinch of black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup pecans, very coarsely chopped

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Instructions

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside. Alternately, grease a loaf pan, line with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper. The parchment paper will make the bread very easy to remove from the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pinch of pepper. Set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, oil, and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add sugar, cream and vanilla extract and whisk well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined, and no pockets of flour remain in the batter. Batter will be pretty thick, not pourable.
5. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with pecans.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm with extra butter and honey.

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