Making the Basic Pumpkin Bread

If you’re an amateur baker, it’s always best to start from the basic recipe before jumping right away into any complicated version. I just realized this blog, which is all about pumpkin breads, do not have the basic recipe for pumpkin bread. What a humiliation! But now is not too late, it’s actually the perfect time to put it under the limelight since harvest months for pumpkins are ongoing.  Indeed, now is the  season for pumpkins and harvest starts from September, or sometimes, late August, up to October.

During these months, you can pick the best quality Halloween pumpkins to either star as Jack-O-lanterns outside your home or as the main ingredient in your Thanksgiving and Halloween dishes on your dining table.

Grab one and try making this basic pumpkin bread. Don't miss autumn without having a slice of this perfect fall treat. This pumpkin bread delicious on its own but it welcomes all kinds of variations. That’s the best thing about it. You may incorporate nuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips, or any ingredient you want to give an extra boost. For this basic bread, enjoy it with butter or cream cheese.

Basic Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Note: You can use pumpkin pie spice as a substitute to all the spices.

Procedure:

Preheat oven 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices.

In another big bowl, beat eggs together with sugar until sugar melts. Stir in pumpkin puree, milk, butter and vanilla extract and then whisk until combined.

Add the flour mixture into wet mixture and stir until well blended and there aren’t any streaks of flour visible in the batter. Dispense batter into the greased baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife poked in the center comes out clean, or with very few moist crumbs attached.

Cool bread for several minutes in baking pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Variations to your Basic Pumpkin Bread:

Incorporate  3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts into your batter for pumpkin nut bread, or toss in 3/4 cup chocolate chips for pumpkin chocolate chip bread, or 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 2/3 cup fresh/frozen cranberries  to make pumpkin cranberry bread, or toss in some zest of one or two large oranges for orange pumpkin bread