Hi Elise,
Thank you for your pumpkin bread recipe, I made one with some leftover pumpkin puree and it turned out really well. Thanks again.

Hi Stef, I'm so glad it turned out well for you. I think with canned puree, you may need to add a little water to the mix so that it is the same consistency you would get with fresh steamed. But I do suspect that with the canned pumpkin, your pumpkin bread will have a stronger pumpkin flavor than if you use fresh. ~Elise

Hi Elise, I love pumpkin bread and have tried so many recipes in the past. Couldn't find the pumpkin puree in London like the one you guys get in the states. I used fresh ones instead. I used olive oil (for the first time in a pumpkin bread) and quite pleased with it. The result? Quite delicious! My search is over - will finally settle on this one. Thanks for sharing your recipe over the net.

I have been milling whole wheat and making bread for a couple of years because my husband had open heart surgery and I found out how much difference there was in the whole wheat bread. All of this is to say, that the person leading my class for all of this used olive oil and said to always use the extra light olive oil for baking because it's flavor is not as stong.

This pumpkin bread was great. I used a can of pure pumpkin puree, and it was a hit. Now, I'm thinking of making it into mini-muffins. Any suggestions as to adjustments on baking time & temp? (I use a convection oven so I already turn the temp down 25 degrees off of all recipes, and I found with this recipe I needed the full 60 minutes when I made the bread in a loaf pan.)

I made it for thankgiving and now I'm finding out that everybody that has tried it is asking me to bake them some more, I appreciate the recipe but not the extra work :)

Hi Elise,
I'm writing you from Italy. I was wondering what pumpkin puree is: simply cooked pumpkin made into a puree? With or without salt/sugar?
I can get American canned pumpkin but I don't like to buy canned food, especially if I can get fresh one...
I love pumpkin and I would love to bake a pumpkin bread.

Hi Alice,
Canned pumpkin is simply cooked pumpkin (skinned) made into a purée. Nothing more. Almost everyone uses it here, even if they don't usually use canned goods, because the quality is good and the product is very consistent. If you make your own, I suggested roasting the pumpkin pieces versus boiling or steaming. You'll get more flavor. ~Elise

re: roasting a pumpkin: I always just cut it into halves and put both halves in a shallow baking dish cut-side down and bake it uncovered at 300 until the outer shell starts to sag, about two to three hours depending on the size of the pumpkin. Let it cool, scrape the meat out of the shell, run the meat through the blender, food processor, or food mill, let drain a little, and you're done. I usually divide the product up into "servings" and freeze, that way I've got a pre-measured amount for whatever recipe I'm making. I've steamed and boiled pumpkins as well, and roasting is MUCH easier, and does seem to concentrate the flavors more. My family can tell the difference between canned and fresh pumpkin, and prefer the fresh pumpkin.

I don't usually use the same pumpkin I used to decorate though, because the black soot from the candle is yuckky!

And thanks, Leila, for the high-altitude tips -- I'll have to dig out my JOC. Some things have no difference, some things do... Seems to have a lot to do with the ratio of fat to flour, at least in my experience.

Just curious if I could use 1/2 whole wheat flour to make the bread a little heartier? Would it have a negative impact on the outcome? I could use some extra pumpkin for flavor, right?

I have used th Fannie Farmer recipe many times, and it has always come out very well. there are two things that I do change: I really don't like the flavor of canned pumpkin, and I've never been very happy with the consistency of regular pumpkins, so I've taken to using either butternut squash, or crook neck squash, roasted. The texture, especially in pies, is much smoother, and you get a very good pumpkin flavor. Also, I adjust the spice mixture to 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, cloves and nutmeg. This really adds much more depth to the flavor.

This bread was absolutely delicious and moist. I did substitute canola oil for the olive oil however. Couldn't imagine it tasting any better. Already have requests for more. Thanks again for a great recipe!!

Regarding the question on baking at high-altitude: I'm living @5000 feet in the Sierra and started baking seriously for the last 10 months. I have successfully produced a great amount of cakes, cookies and breads. I generally reduce about 20-25% the amount of baking agents called for in a recipe. If you live at higher altitude (i.e. 6000-7000 feet) you might have to reduce the amount of baking agent further. It's trial and errors.
For the above recipe I will reduce about 20-25% of the original amount of baking soda, hence from 1 teaspoon down to 3/4 teaspoon and might add another 1-2 Tablespoons of flour. Hope this helps.

Hi Elise, I just wanted to let you know that I tried the recipe and LOVED it.

Thank you so much for posting this. It trully is a simple and delicious recipe!

I just tried your recipe with a variation. I used whole wheat flour to make it a little more healthy. It is yummi and very easy to make. Thanks!

I made this last night with canned organic pumpkin, fresh-ground white whole wheat flour (it's a whole grain, but less assertive-tasting than red wheat), half brown sugar and half white (and a little less sugar overall), and peanut oil (substituting some extra pumpkin puree for some of the oil). I also added ginger to the spices and ground the allspice and nutmeg just before using.

It was absolutely delicious. Thank goodness I made a double batch.

This is an amazing recipe. So tasty and moist. My husband doesn't like pumpkin, but he had no problem devouring this. We also had 4 teenage visitors last night, (they think we're cool, older people) and of course offered them some bread. Well, they ended up taking the remaining loaf with them. I'll be making another one today.

I'll be trying Suzanne's Pumpkin Pie today as well.

Thanks so much for sharing.

I love this recipe! I used cooked mashed butternut squash and it worked very well. I added a 1/4 tsp ginger and I cut the sugar in half. My coworkers loved it and have asked for the recipe. It was so simple I will make it again for sure.

This is a great bread. I added about 1/4 tsp of ginger used 2c white flour plus 1/2c whole wheat. I also did 1/4 olive oil and 1/4 veg oil because the last time i made it i felt i could taste the olive oil a little bit too much. perhaps it was because i only had extra virgin but it tastes great this time using half evoo and half veg. oil! Highly recommended. My b/f who claims to hate anything pumpkin ended up eating 1/2 the loaf!

Hi,

Delicious bread!

But with my second one I tried some variations:

First of all I used less sugar (about 3/4 cup), then I used brown sugar instead of white and I exchanged the walnuts with pecans and added a bit of vanilla.

Even better, I would say!

Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love it!

Hi,
I love this recipe, I make it for everyone at work and it goes very fast. I like to double the recipe and make two loaves of bread, but I add a large can of the pumpkin and it keeps the bread moist and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.

Any way to cook this pumpkin bread on the stovetop in a frying pan? wp

If you don't use all the pumpkin puree in a can, can you freeze the remainder of the puree in a foodsaver bag? I am looking forward to trying this. I am going to try adding some cranberries to this recipe. Thanks, E

I've always used the Fannie Farmer recipe (my first real cookbook!), but I usually double the cinnamon, and add 1/2 tsp. of ginger, to add a bit more spiciness. I don't like the flavor of canned pumpkin, so I use butternut or hubbard squash puree instead, and add raisins. Every year around this time, I get excited, waiting for the local farmer's markets to have fresh squash!

Could you tell me the baking time difference if I was to make muffins instead of bread?

I just made this - and used double the amount of pumpkin- so 2 cups/ 1 normal sized can
its delicious ( and is healthier...but I also threw in some chocolate chips to negate that ;)
Thanks!
Rachel

High~Altitude cake baking
(Adjust for bread as needed)
Ingredients 3000 ft 5000 7000
Liquid: ADD for each Cup 1-2 TBS 2-3 TBS 3-4 TBS

Baking Powder: 1/8 tsp 1/8 -1/4 tsp 1/4tsp
DECRESE 4 each tsp

Sugar 0-1 TBS 0-3 TBS 1-3 TBS
DECREASE 4 each C

(Intended to be followed in colums right to left, top to bottom)

Lite & Life at "Higher Grounds"

Hi, I have used your recipe many times, whether for my family or for friends, and I would just like to thank you for sharing it. Everyone I know says it is one of the best desserts they ever had. Again, Thank you.

This is the best pumpkin bread recipe I have tried. Very happy with how moist it turns out. In addition to the olive oil, I suspect light stirring by hand makes the difference. It also tastes better the next day!

Great recipe. I was looking for something to do with the gigantic butternut squash I got from my CSA (I'd already made more than enough soup) and found your site on a google search! I made this for a work function in its bread form, and everyone loved it, then a few days later (I still had plenty of squash...) it was someone's birthday, so I made the recipe again, but as cupcakes with a cream cheese icing. Rave reviews all around!

Who knew that squash could be part of a birthday cake?

I found that when using baked squash, it was easier to get a very smooth puree if I put it in the blender with the 1/2 cup of oil called for in the recipe. I did this when using the batter for cupcakes, as I wanted a finer texture.

Thanks for sharing!

Hi! Many thanks for this recipe, I have never been more pleased,delighted, and satisfied.
Your readers offering comments and improvements are a delight to read. What a wonderful enhancement they make to the world and its purpose.
Does anyone have have a substitute for wheat? I am intolerant to wheat and would like to find a another grain since I am eating so much of this pumpkin bread.

Hi Harry, I recommend looking for a gluten-free flour mix. Bob's Red Mill is a good brand. I made a great batch of gluten-free pumpkin cupcakes using the Red Mill flour. ~Elise

I plan on making this tomorrow. I have cinnamon and nutmeg but no allspice. Is it okay to substitute the 1/2 teaspoon allspice with more cinnamon? If not, I'll have to go buy some tomorrow!

Sure. You could also add a pinch of cloves or some ground ginger. ~Elise

I noticed that someone else in the comments mentioned that they used this recipe to make cupcakes, which I thought was brilliant so I doubled the recipe and made a big batch of cupcakes. I didn't have any canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin but I did have a fresh butternut squash, so I followed the same roasting instructions you gave for the pumpkin. They turned out incredible!!! I was expecting them to be dense like banana bread but they were so soft and fluffy. I did add about 50 percent more spices (although I didn't have any allspice, which may be the reason it needed more spice. I added some ground ginger instead.) Topped off with a dollop of cream cheese frosting, they were a huge hit and they are definitely going into my rotation. Thank you so much for this recipe!

I AM MAKEING PUMPKIN BREAD. I HAVE TASTED PUMPKIN BREAD ONCE.AND I JUST TURNED 8 YEARS OLD.THE FIRST TIME I TRIED IT I LOVED IT. THANK YOU FOR THE RECEIPE. FROM MAILE 8 YEARS OLD

Hi Maile, So glad you liked the pumpkin bread! ~Elise

I've tried the recipe and really like it. What I like is that it doesn't call for baking powder so it has a lighter consistency. I did use only 1/4 cup mixed olive and sunflower oil with 2 tbsp of butter. I also made a whip cream topping because I happened to have whipping cream on hand, with a combo of organic powdered sugar and cane. thank you for your recipe:)

p.s. I've made pumpkin and fresh fig bread before as well as pumpkin fig tarts- really yummy!!

I made it today with whole wheat flour and loved it.. I'm not kidding I loved it!
Nigel (age 8)

Great recipe!! I made it yesterday using a equal portion of pumpkin and butternut squash that I had roasted the day before. I also used 2/3 whole wheat flour (the recipe was doubled), and added 1/2 cup of ground flax seed. I made muffins instead of the loaves (bake time reduced to 20-25 min), and I must say, they were the moistest muffins I had even had... DELICIOUS!! Makes me think that they could easily be frozen for later and not become dry. My only question for you is: is there any reason why the sugar is mixed with the dry instead of the wet ingredients? I'm used to mixing the sugar with the oil/butter and then adding the eggs (one at a time) for all of the other baking recipes I've done.

Thanks!!

I decided this year that I didn;t want to throw away my tiny pumpkins again like I always did (I have to say in my defense that I have adapted a pretty clean way of eating at the beginning of 2008 and have now a new appreciation for anything fresh vs. canned). Granted, they were not sugar (pie) pumpkins but regular tiny Jack-o-Lanterns. I cut each of them in a half, scooped out the insides and placed them quartered in a covered glass dish for about 10 min in the Microwave, then I took the peel off and put the pumpkin meat through the ricer.
This pumpkin tasted blander and non sweet than the pie pumpkin I steamed yesterday (and froze because I will make Suzanne's Pumpkin pie this year for Thanksgiving). So I figured I make this pumpkin bread. Well, I made it according to the recipe, but I used half olive oil and half smart balance spread and doubled the recipe. I made a square pan and a dozen muffins, 6 of them with Walnuts. I have to say that the results are absolutely delicious and my kids gobbled it up as fast as I could hand them out.
Next time however, I want to try to make it healthier (just less sugar and oil).
This is what I would do different.
I would use less oil the next time but more pumpkin to cut down on the fat content. I would also try and sub the sugar all or in part with Stevia (even less if I used a sweet pumpkin) to cut sugar calories and maybe add some molasses for a richer flavor and to boost the iron content of this loaf. Then I would do half whole wheat flour and half unbleached. I think toasting the nuts lightly (walnuts or whatever) would also enhance the flavor. I would make these changes primarily to reduce overall sugar and fat content while keeping the flavor. This is a great recipe and I love it!

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that my mom asked me to bake something for her this past weekend for her church group. I was looking up pumpkin bread recipes, and stumbled upon yours. I baked it, and sent my mom off with the muffins (I made them into muffins instead). She told me that everyone raved about them and said they weren't overly sweet like store bought baked goods. She has been asking me to bake some more ever since, and she loved them so much that she saved a couple to give to her co-workers! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! :-)

I didn't have any allspice, so I used pumpkin pie spice instead of allspice - it was absolutely fantastic!
My biggest problem is the argument with my husband as to whether or not to make more pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie with the homemade pumpkin puree from this past November! Oh, what a delicious argument to have! :-D

Rach

Great recipe, although I cut back on the sugar. I tripled the recipe but left the sugar amount at one cup and used a dark demerara sugar. It was plenty sweet! I also cut out a 1/2 cup of the olive oil- and the texture was still great. Thanks!

I found this recipe in my quest to use an acorn squash I'd received. I used only one egg and a mixture of pepitas and roasted pumpkin seeds in lieu of walnuts because I was disinclined to leave the house in search of proper ingredients, and it's wonderful! I've eaten nearly half the loaf in the two hours it's been out of the oven. This is most definitely the way in which I will dispose of the reamaining squash!

I love this recipe and am planning on making it with the kids at my daughter's preschool next week but there's a no refined sugar policy at school. I was wondering if agave syrup would work? And if so, how much? Or is there another sweetener that would be better?

Thanks!

Your guess is as good as mine. I haven't baked with agave syrup. ~Elise

Just made this again... one of our family favorites. I doubled the recipe and added chocolate chips to one loaf. So good!

I should have known better. I am a pumpkin FANATIC...I can't keep my hands off of anything with pumpkin in it (pie, ice cream, muffins, you-name-it). What was I thinking baking this bread on a night where I had the house to myself? I literally polished off nearly half of one loaf (AFTER dinner) before forcing myself to brush my teeth (I could easily have downed the entire thing) in thirty minutes (maybe less).
Thanks so much for the great recipe; I know what I'll be bringing to the Halloween party I'll be attending next weekend!!