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This may be my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. This recipe makes a dark, moist loaf flavored with pumpkin, spices, brown sugar, and molasses. I remember when we first made it, we made a spread by whipping cream cheese and Red Currant Jelly together. That may still be my favorite way to serve it.
Like most quick breads, this bread improves in flavor after being refrigerated overnight. With whole wheat and vitamin-rich pumpkin, this is a healthy choice.
Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir the eggs, buttermilk, oil, canned pumpkin, molasses, and brown sugar together in a bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the flours, salt, baking soda, and spices together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined. Add the optional walnuts.
- Scrape the batter into two medium (about 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches) baking pans that have greased and floured.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until the bread tests done with a toothpick. Let cool in the pan for three or four minutes and then remove the loaves to cool on a wire rack. Once the bread is cooled, wrap completely and refrigerate.
Pumpkin Walnut Bread Pudding
This is an outstanding pumpkin bread pudding recipe. It calls for a dark pumpkin bread then you add a lightly spiced custard with caramel streusel topping and a caramel sauce. Top it with a dollop of whipped cream.
This is a four-component recipe. Such recipes are at their best when all four components are very good—and this one is. The bread is outstanding, the egg custard is lightly spiced and very good, the caramelized topping is great, and the caramel sauce is terrific.
This is made using our pumpkin walnut bread but you can use another suitable bread.
To make the pudding:
4 cups pumpkin walnut bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes and allowed to stale for half a day—about 3 1/2 slices.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 large eggs
2 1/3 cups whole milk or half-and-half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Stir the granulated sugar and spices together in a large bowl. Make sure they are well mixed. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Gently stir the cubed bread into the liquid and let it soak for 10 minutes.
Pour the bread and egg mixture into the baking pan. Spoon the topping (recipe follows) over the bread mixture. Bake for 34 to 38 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.
Serve with the caramel sauce (recipe follows).
To make the topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 cup walnut pieces
Cut the butter into the brown sugar and nuts until mixed.
To make the caramel sauce:
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 milk or half and half
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoons vanilla
Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add the milk and butter.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
Add the vanilla and stir. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Serve over the hot or cold bread pudding.
Baker’s notes: This is a fine bread pudding without the sauce. The sauce is rich so you may prefer to just leave it off. You may also use Cinnamon Cream Syrup.
Pumpkin and Carrot Scones
These scones were meant for autumn. They are light and moist and yes, they do taste a bit like pumpkin pie. Our kids thought they were weird but they liked them. The turbinado sugar on top creates a nice, buttery crunch. Give these scones a try.
These are an attractive, deep orange color and they have a taste that will remind you of pumpkin pie. And there is a secret ingredient—grated carrots. The carrots give them a bit of chewiness. The bonus? These great tasting scones are healthy with vitamin A-loaded pumpkin and carrots and yogurt.
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded carrots
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup vanilla or plan yogurt (fat reduced or regular but not fat free)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
turbinado sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet or cover it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir in the grated carrots.
- Use a pastry knife to cut the butter into the dry ingredients and continue cutting until the mixture is coarse and uniform.
- In another bowl, stir together the pumpkin, vanilla extract, yogurt, and egg. Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Stir to combine then remove to a floured counter and knead until uniform. (Do not over-knead. Too much kneading will develop the gluten in the flour and make the scones tough.)
- Divide the dough into two pieces and press each into 3/4-inch thick circles. Cut each circle into wedges or use a biscuit cutter to cut them into circles. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and brush on the scone wedges. Sprinkle them with the turbinado sugar to cover.
- Let bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool.
Enjoy your fall baking!
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho. He loves to help people bake and shares his vast collection of cooking and baking knowledge on his blog as well as in his e-books and magazines. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.
