Spiced Pumpkin Bread

This bread machine pumpkin bread is a yeast loaf, not a quick bread, which means it rises into something soft and airy rather than dense and cake-like. A full cup of pumpkin puree goes right into the dough, giving the crumb a warm orange color and that distinctly earthy, squash-y sweetness.

Pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar round out the flavor. The spice blend (typically cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves) works with the pumpkin the same way it does in pie, but here it’s baked into a bread you can slice and toast.

Two eggs and oil keep the crumb tender and moist. The pumpkin puree adds moisture too, which is why this recipe uses less water than a standard bread machine loaf.

Kitchen Tips

• Use canned pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has sugar and spices already mixed in and will throw off the recipe.
• The dough will be softer and stickier than a standard white bread dough. That’s the pumpkin’s moisture at work.
• This bread browns faster because of the sugar and eggs. Use a light crust setting if your machine offers one.
• Slice thick for toast. The soft crumb compresses under a knife, so a serrated blade and gentle sawing motion work best.

Variations

• Add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts during the mix-in cycle for crunch.
• Fold in chocolate chips for a dessert-style pumpkin bread.
• Swap brown sugar for maple syrup (reduce water slightly) for a deeper autumn flavor.