Super moist honey pumpkin bread with a bit of cinnamon-infused butter and a coffee = the best fall morning of your life.
I tried to hold off on posting a pumpkin recipe on the blog. I still have a summery recipe left that I want to post here before it starts cooling down.
But I was thumbing through Easy Baking from Scratch which just released and came across the honey pumpkin bread and I couldn't resist. Actually, I was torn between the sugar and spice scones and the pumpkin bread so I asked which I should make first on Insta and most people wanted the pumpkin bread.
It was a very, very good choice.
At first, I admit, I was a little nervous about the recipe as it calls for a decent amount of sugar, plus the honey. I didn't know if the balance between the two would be there without making the bread overly sweet. And instead of ginger on the list of ingredients, there was lemon extract. That was so new to me.
Unfortunately, I didn't even have lemon extract around and wasn't able to pick any up, so I sadly didn't even get a chance to see how it tasted with the lemon. After tasting the finished product, I think it would have been a good addition.
If I'm completely honest, I think this might be one of my favorite base recipes for pumpkin bread. It's sturdy, but still light with a beautiful crumb. It's wonderfully moist and packed with flavor.
I can easily picture myself making this bread again and adding chocolate chips. Or adding pepitas to the top. Instead of the sugar-dusted on top, a maple cinnamon glaze would also be good. It's one of those recipes that's amazing on its own and as a blank canvas for your creativity to shine.
When I have a bite of this honey pumpkin bread, all I can think of is waiting for a crisp fall morning in a fluffy sweater with a slice or two of toasted bread topped with a touch of butter and whipped cream and a hot mug of coffee or, more likely, hot chocolate.
It's just so quintessentially fall without being cliche since it doesn't have that expected "pumpkin spice" flavor. It's pumpkin and simple, but far from basic.
How Do I Know When Pumpkin Bread Is Done
Pumpkin bread tends to be moister than other quick breads because of the high moisture content within the pumpkin puree. The color of the bread is already a nice golden color and is prone to becoming quite dark quickly (I recommend placing aluminum foil over your bread while baking if it starts looking too dark). This is why it may become difficult to know when to stop baking your bread.
There are a few ways to tell your pumpkin bread is done. The most common way to know that your bread is fully finished is to use a toothpick to test the middle. The toothpick should come out either with only a few crumbs clinging to it, or it will come out clean.
You can also see if the sides of the bread are beginning to pull away from the loaf pan.
If you love accuracy, you can also use a thermometer. The middle of the bread should read 190 degrees F or 88 degrees C.
Luckily, if you've underbaked your pumpkin bread, you can usually just pop it back in the oven and bake it for longer - even if the bread already cooled.
The Best Baking Pan For Pumpkin Bread
I prefer a light-colored aluminum baking pan, but an enamel loaf pan will also work. They both conduct and retain heat evenly. This ensures that your bread gets great color and bakes up fully throughout the pan.
Something like a cast iron loaf pan also conducts and retains heat evenly, however, it holds in the heat for so long after baking, that you can end up with an overbaked loaf. This is why I rarely recommend using it.
How to Store Your Bread
Typically, I recommend storing pumpkin bread at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, or something similar. When wrapped well, it should last for about a week. Since this bread is deliciously moist, it will not dry out over this period of time either.
You can refrigerate your bread if it is tightly wrapped, and it can extend the shelf life of your bread by a few days.
If you hope to make your pumpkin bread last a very long time, you can freeze the bread. It should last about a month if it is wrapped well. I prefer to wrap my bread, then place it in a freezer bag. When you are ready to eat your bread, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then leave it at room temperature, or even toast it!
Is Pumpkin Bread Good For You?
Everyone has a different idea of what healthy or good-for-you actually means. For some, the fact that this bread is homemade and includes pumpkin puree is enough to consider it healthier. For others, the sugar and white flour immediately means it is bad for you. So, it is really up to you to understand what your own priorities are with your diet.
In my opinion, this is a nice sweet quick bread that is good enough for an autumn breakfast, but not something that should be eaten all the time.
How to Eat Pumpkin Bread
This bread is the perfect canvas for just about anything. I love to eat my bread toasted. Some of my favorite variations include:
- infused butters (cinnamon, honey, and maple are my favorite infusions)
- topped with Nutella
- topped with fruit
- made into French toast
- eaten with coffee or homemade hot chocolate
- plain
Can You Make Pumpkin Bread into Muffins
Yes, you definitely can make this recipe into muffins! Use cupcake liners, and remember that the baking time will be significantly shorter because each muffin is smaller than a whole loaf. I recommend checking the muffins after 15 minutes using the toothpick or thermometer method.
Looking For More Delicious Recipes?
I think you would love to try my zucchini pumpkin bread for a tasty fusion of summer and fall. My pumpkin coffee cake and pumpkin cream cheese bars are other favorites. You may also love my brown butter banana bread
Honey Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cups granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons for topping
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ⅔ cups vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan (or use parchment paper).
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, ⅔ cups sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a medium bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients and whisk well. until well-combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until it is combined and there are no streaks of flour.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with the two tablespoons of sugar.
- Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick.
- Remove and allow to cool completely.
Heidi says
Will this recipe work with brown sugar ?
Amanda Powell says
I’ve never tried it that way, but I am sure it would work. It would make the loaf darker in color, but As long as you use a toothpick to test doneness I’m sure it’d be fine!
Noelle says
This just might be my new favorite bread recipe! Love the pumpkin and honey together, great flavors thank you!