Pumpkin Nut Bread

This pumpkin bread recipe yields two full 9×5 loaves, perfect for keeping one and gifting the other through fall. The rolled oats stirred into the dry ingredients are the unexpected addition. They give the bread a slightly chewier crumb than a standard pumpkin loaf and add visible texture to each slice.

Evaporated milk instead of regular milk is the move that makes this bread extra moist. The concentrated milk solids create a richer, more tender crumb that stays soft for days. Don’t substitute regular milk; the texture will suffer.

The egg substitute keeps the recipe lower in cholesterol, but real beaten eggs (3 to 4 large) work just fine if that’s what you have. The bread is forgiving on this swap.

A full one-cup measure of canned pumpkin is the right call for two loaves. Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices that would throw off the balance.

Pro Tips

• Toast the walnuts before chopping. Untoasted nuts taste flat in such a flavor-packed bread.
• Use a long, thin skewer for the doneness test. The dense batter requires reaching the center.
• Loosely tent the loaves with foil at the 50-minute mark if the tops are browning too fast.
• Let cool completely before slicing. Warm pumpkin bread tears; cooled bread cuts cleanly.

Variations

• Stir 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter for a chocolate-pumpkin version.
• Replace half the white sugar with maple syrup for a deeper autumnal sweetness.
• Add 1 cup of fresh or dried cranberries for tart pops in every slice.