The Magic Pumpkin Bread Recipe Your Kids Won’t Be Able to Get Enough Of
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Fall is in the air and it’s definitely my favorite season! Big sweaters, crisp leaves, and the return of seasonal hot beverages to warm us up from the inside out. One of the things we most look forward to is heading out as a family to the pumpkin patch to go for hay rides, pick pumpkins and get lost (temporarily) in the corn maze. It’s an all-day event, and the magic keeps going even when we get home, as I always make sure we grab a sugar pumpkin to make this delicious and simple loaf.
Unlike your standard big porch pumpkin, sugar pumpkins are smaller and deep orange in color. In this recipe, the sugar pumpkin is roasted and folded into a moist, easy-to-make loaf, which is a great way to get your kids to learn basic baking skills and to connect with where their food comes from as well as how it is grown.
As we embrace the beauty of fall, and the amazing produce which arrives with the change in seasons, making this loaf gives me an opportunity to talk about seasonality and farm to table cooking with my kids in a way that is fun and interactive, as I watch them delight in taking ownership over choosing their pumpkin, helping prepare the ingredients and of course, enjoying a warm slice of loaf fresh from the oven.
Sweet Pumpkin Bread
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 40 minutes
Makes 1 (9x5-inch) loaf
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
(2 to 3-pound) whole sugar pumpkin
- 1/2 cup
plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
Cooking spray (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups
granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2
large eggs
- 2 tablespoons
apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups
plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons
baking powder
- 1 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground ginger
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut 1 (2 to 3-pound) sugar pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and either set aside for roasting or discard. Brush the cut sides of the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and place it on the baking sheet cut-side down.
Roast until the pumpkin has collapsed a bit and is easily pierced with a paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the halves to a wire rack cut-side down. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper that hangs off the two long sides, or coat the pan with cooking spray.
When cool enough to handle, scoop the warm flesh out of the skin and place it in a high-speed blender. Purée until smooth. Measure out 1 3/4 cups of the purée. Reserve any remaining for another use.
Return the 1 3/4 cups pumpkin purée to the blender. Add the remaining 1/2 cup canola oil, 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Blend until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
Place 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Add about half of the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and fold with a flexible spatula until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold until just combined. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Gently remove the loaf from the pan and place it on the wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Canned pumpkin: You can skip roasting and puréeing a whole pumpkin and use 1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin purée instead.
Storage: Leftover bread can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.