Pumpkin Spice Bread

Before you start

Pumpkin bread sits between a muffin and a spice cake. Canned pumpkin puree brings moisture, color and body, oil keeps the crumb soft even when cold, and a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves supplies most of the flavor, since pumpkin itself is mild.

This version uses a whole 425 g (15 oz) can in a single 9 x 5 in pan so nothing is left over. That makes a heavy, moist batter that needs a moderate oven and patience: the outside sets long before the middle. Plain puree is the right product here. Canned pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices and will throw off the balance.

Ingredients

• Dry280 g (2¼ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• Wet1 can, 425 g (15 oz) pumpkin puree — plain, not pie filling
• 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 100 g (½ cup, packed) dark brown sugar
• 120 ml (½ cup) neutral oil
• 2 large eggs — room temperature
• Topping2 tbsp raw pepitas — optional
• 1 tbsp turbinado sugar — optional

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) with a rack in the lower-middle position. Grease the pan and line the bottom and long sides with parchment.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and the four spices in the medium bowl.
3. In the large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, both sugars, oil and eggs until completely smooth and no streaks of egg remain, about 1 minute.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and fold with a spatula until the batter looks uniform and no dry flour is visible. Stop there; extra mixing toughens the crumb and causes tunnels.
5. Spread the batter in the pan; it should come about three-quarters of the way up. Scatter the pepitas and turbinado sugar over the top if using.
6. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. After 45 minutes, if the top is already deep brown, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it. The loaf is done when a skewer in the center comes out clean or with a crumb or two, and the middle registers about 96 to 99°C (205 to 210°F).
7. Let the loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it out and cool completely on a rack. Slice with a serrated knife.

Tips for success

• Check that your pan is deep enough. A shallow 9 x 5 pan can overflow with a full can of pumpkin; if yours is under 7 cm deep, fill it three-quarters full and bake the rest as two or three muffins.
• Fresh-ground spices make a noticeable difference here. If your jar of ground ginger or cloves has lost its smell, replace it or increase it by half.
• Room-temperature eggs blend into the cold, thick pumpkin more easily, so the batter needs less stirring.

Substitutions

Canned pumpkin puree

Roasted squash puree such as butternut works if it is thick. Drain watery homemade puree in a sieve for 30 minutes first, or the loaf will be gummy.

Individual spices

Use 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Blends vary, so the flavor may be milder.

Neutral oil

Melted and slightly cooled butter gives a richer, slightly firmer loaf. Light olive oil works and is hard to detect behind the spices.

Variations

Cream cheese swirl

Beat 115 g softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 egg yolk. Spoon it down the center between two layers of batter and swirl once with a knife; refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate chip pumpkin bread

Fold 120 g (⅔ cup) chocolate chips into the batter and skip the pepita topping.

Troubleshooting

Center sank into a dip

The loaf came out before the middle set, or the pan was too small. Bake until a thermometer reads at least 96°C (205°F) in the center and use a full-size, deep pan.

Crust is thick and very dark

Dark pans and a long bake toughen the outside. Use a light-colored metal pan, tent with foil at the 45-minute mark, and keep the rack below center.

Bread tastes bland

Old spices or too little salt. Taste your spices before baking and do not cut the salt, which sharpens both the pumpkin and the spice.

Storage

Keep the cooled loaf wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate it for up to a week. The cream cheese swirl variation must be refrigerated and eaten within 4 days. Freeze slices, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months.

Safety notes

Contains raw egg and raw flour before baking, so do not taste the batter. Contains wheat and egg.