Go Back

Pumpkin Bread

I have tried so many pumpkin bread recipes, mine, other people’s, and have been disappointed with the results. Pumpkin’s quiet charms can become even more hushed when mixed in with batter. Pumpkin bread can be dry. Or soggy. Or heavy. Or oily. But rarely is it pumpkiny. So one day, I took an Ikea furniture assembly approach to pumpkin bread, trying this technique, that ingredient, a different proportion, and added a few weird tweaks of my own. It baked into the kind of bread to make a pumpkin proud. I did not, of course, write it down. For the sake of the pumpkin and you, I had another go, recording as I went, and voila. The orange juice does not announce itself in the least, but adds a little sparkle of acidity. Think of that and the almond extract as accesorizing your pumpkin.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 cup pureed pumpkin homemade and fresh or canned*
  • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/3 cup vegan butter
  • 1 cup evaporated cane sugar
  • 2 tablespoons aquafaba
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil loaf pan 9 X 5 loaf pan.
  • In a large bowl, sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside.
  • In a smaller separate bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, orange juice, aquafaba and molasses.
  • In another large bowl, beat vegan butter and sugar until light. Add about half the flour and spice mixture, then stir in half the pumpkin mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour and pumpkin. Keep it light. Stir in the raisins.
  • Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until fragrant and firm. It should spring back with a gentle poke.
  • This is a fine-textured bread that slices well, keeps several days and is good with anything.

Notes

* If using canned, make sure it’s pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Organic, as always is preferable.