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Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Incredibly moist, tender pumpkin bread with a complex house-blend spice mix, perfectly cracked golden crust, and a texture so velvety it stays fresh for days — the only pumpkin bread recipe you'll ever need.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 295
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour 250g
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg freshly grated is significantly better
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.25 tsp ground cardamom
  • 0.125 tsp black pepper tiny pinch — adds subtle warmth
Wet Ingredients
  • 1 can (15 oz) 100% pure pumpkin purée not pie filling
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar 150g
  • 0.75 cup dark brown sugar 165g, packed
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 0.5 cup neutral oil vegetable, canola, or melted coconut oil
  • 0.25 cup full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional Toppings
  • 2 tbsp turbinado sugar sprinkled on top before baking for a crunchy crust
  • 3 tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds) pressed on top decoratively

Equipment

  • 1 9x5-inch loaf pan
  • 1 Parchment paper
  • 2 Mixing bowls
  • 1 Rubber spatula
  • 1 Instant-read thermometer

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray, then line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides. This makes unmolding effortless.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all the spices. Whisking distributes the leaveners and spices evenly throughout the flour.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until completely smooth.
Combine & Bake
  1. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold together with large sweeping strokes until JUST barely combined. Stop when you can still see a few small streaks of flour. Do NOT overmix — this is the number one cause of tough quick bread.
  2. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top gently. Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the surface and/or press pepitas decoratively into the top if using.
  3. Bake for 60-75 minutes. The bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 200-205°F (93-96°C) in the center, or a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The top should be deeply golden and cracked down the center.
Cool & Store
  1. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Lift out using the parchment overhang and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Cutting into hot quick bread compresses the crumb and makes it gummy.

Notes

This bread is actually better on day 2 and 3 as the spices deepen and moisture redistributes. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for 4 days. Freezes beautifully — wrap individual slices and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or toast directly from frozen.