Pumpkin Bread

Spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice create a fragrant medley with pumpkin baked into an amber loaf swirling with deep mahogany tones of maple syrup. The flavors and aroma of fall are magnificent!

There’s nothing that celebrates the season of autumn more than the combination of pumpkin and spices.

The smell of this bread baking is almost as good as eating it! And after a recent visit to see one of my favorite fellas, we stopped to get coffee and cake, which included a slice of pumpkin bread. I promised him after I got home I would bake a loaf just for him. And I’ve got the perfect recipe that I’m sure will bring a smile to his face.

This is my favorite recipe for pumpkin bread, with deep maple flavors accenting the warmth of the pumpkin. The recipe stems from a cookbook I received with my first Cuisinart back in the 80s and it’s been a staple in our kitchen for years.

The bread can be quickly pulled together in your food processor. Flour is blended with a touch of kosher salt plus baking soda for a gorgeous lift along with all those spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Sugar is mixed with eggs for richness followed by vegetable oil for a moist loaf and real maple syrup and pure vanilla extract for depth of flavors.

Scoop up the batter and bake until light and tender.

Then get ready to enjoy a slice of autumnal goodness with enough to share with your favorite fella!

Pumpkin Bread

As with any quick bread, once you’ve added the flour be careful to not over mix the batter or your bread will be tough.

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

⅔ cup real maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups canned pumpkin purée, one 16-ounce* can

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Grease and flour the inside of two large loaf pans (9″ x 5″), shaking out any excess flour. Insert the metal blade in a food processor. Add the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice then process about 5 seconds to blend together. Transfer the flour and spice mixture to a separate bowl while you mix the wet ingredients.

Put the sugar and eggs in the work bowl then process for about 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue processing for an additional 30 seconds.

With the machine running, pour the oil along with the maple syrup into the sugar and egg mixture through the feed tube. Process for 1 additional minute. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla, process for about 10 seconds to blend into the batter.

Add the flour and spice mixture, about 1 cup at a time, blending into the batter by pulsing 3 or 4 times. Process just until the flour disappears.

Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans and bake in a 350-degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 large loaves.

*Many options for canned pumpkin now come in 15-ounce cans, just shy of a full 2 cups. If that’s all you can find, you’ll be fine to proceed. But if you want the full two cups, open a second can and any leftover pumpkin purée can be frozen.