Pumpkin Bread: Recipe and Tips for a Moist Loaf
Pumpkin bread is a genuine fall staple, and a good one comes down to a few specifics: not overmixing the batter, using enough fat and pumpkin puree for moisture, and pulling it from the oven at the right moment.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes. Bake time: 55–65 minutes. Pan size: one 9x5-inch loaf pan. Oven temperature: 350°F/175°C. Yield: one loaf, about 10 slices.
- Ingredients — 1 2/3 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 15 oz (425g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
Method
This is a quick bread, which means it's leavened with baking soda and baking powder rather than yeast — mixing technique matters here in a different way than it does for a yeasted dough.
- 1. Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan (or line it with parchment paper).
- 2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a bowl.
- 3. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, and eggs together until smooth, then whisk in the pumpkin puree and water.
- 4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together just until no streaks of flour remain — stop as soon as it looks combined.
- 5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- 6. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- 7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
What Keeps It Moist
Oil (rather than butter) stays liquid at room temperature, which keeps quick breads like this one moist for longer after baking. Pumpkin puree itself adds significant moisture too — using the full amount called for, rather than a reduced amount, matters for texture. The biggest risk to moisture is simply overbaking; pull the loaf as soon as the toothpick test passes rather than baking until it looks perfectly dry on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin bread's moisture comes from its ingredients (oil and pumpkin puree) and from stopping at the right moment, both in mixing and in baking — overdoing either one is the most common way it turns out dense or dry.
This recipe is based on standard pumpkin quick bread ratios and technique, not on documented testing of this exact batch.
Sweet Breads, Rolls & Breakfast Bakes includes pumpkin bread alongside other quick breads and breakfast bakes.
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