Red Lion Inn Pumpkin Bread
Moist and flavorful Red Lion Inn pumpkin bread with walnuts and raisins. Easy recipe for loaves or muffins, perfect for fall baking. Ready in under 90 minutes!
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minChef Tips
- Pumpkin Purée: Ensure you use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added spices and sugar that can alter the flavor.
- Toasting Walnuts: For deeper flavor, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Avoid Overmixing: Stir the batter just until no flour streaks remain to keep the bread tender and avoid a tough texture.
- Baking Evenly: Rotate pans halfway through baking to ensure even heat distribution, especially in older ovens.
- Storage: Store bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen bread at room temperature.
Optional Variations
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread: Replace walnuts and raisins with 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for a sweeter treat.
- Nut-Free Version: Omit walnuts and increase raisins to ½ cup, or substitute with dried cranberries for a tart twist.
- Spiced Glaze: Skip the cinnamon-sugar topping and drizzle cooled bread with a glaze made from 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Whole Wheat Blend: Substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier texture, but expect a slightly denser loaf.
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans, 24 standard muffin cups (with liners or grease), or six mini loaf pans with butter or non-stick spray.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and pumpkin purée until smooth and fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice to ensure even distribution of spices and leavening agents.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent dense bread.
- Add Mix-Ins: Fold in walnuts and raisins until evenly distributed.
- Fill Pans: Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, filling loaf pans about ¾ full, muffin cups ⅔ full, or mini loaf pans ¾ full to allow for rising.
- Add Topping: Mix ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the batter for a sweet, crunchy crust.
- Bake
- Large Loaves: Bake for 60–70 minutes.
- Muffins: Bake for 35–40 minutes.
- Mini Loaves: Bake for 45–50 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If browning too quickly, tent with foil after 45 minutes.
Cool and Serve Let loaves or muffins cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice loaves once cooled to prevent crumbling. Serve fresh or wrap tightly to store.
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