Pumpkin Quick Bread Recipe
Quick breads are bread made using baking powder or baking soda to get their “lift” instead of the traditional yeast. Usually moist and denser than yeast bread, they may have more in common with cakes when it comes to baking. They can be baked using a wide variety of ingredients, including bananas, berries and nuts, or the ever-popular zucchini. They are easy to bake, have a high success rate and—as the name suggests—without the lengthy rise times required for yeast beads, they don’t take long to make.
The holiday season has arrived and, for many of us, that means plenty of visitors. Served with breakfast, coffee or as dessert, quick breads are handy to have on hand when expecting company any time of day. It only takes about an hour to produce a good quick bread, but even better, they freeze very well for future use.
Before the holiday cooking and baking gets underway, preparing half a dozen or more quick breads and popping them into the freezer will reduce the workload during the holiday season. Wrapped in cellophane, they stack easily on freezer shelves and thaw quickly, making them an easy option for breakfast noshing or a snack that can be left on the counter all day long for grazing between marathon rounds of Scrabble or Rumikub when extended family is staying a few days.
While zucchini bread is king in late summer, it’s hard to beat pumpkin as the quick bread of choice once the leaves have fallen from the trees. Pumpkin is the sweet, mellow taste of the season, especially when supported by fall spices and apple juice. Nuts or dried fruits are a nice addition, adding flavor, texture and variety to an easy quick bread my holiday house guests are likely to see more than once during their stay, usually by request.
Pumpkin Quick Bread Recipe
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts, pecans, raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a bowl and set aside.
Stir pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, oil, apple juice, and vanillas extract together to fully combine.
Stir dry ingredients into wet mix until combined.
Stir in walnuts, raisins or cranberries, if desired.
Grease and flour two 8” or 9” loaf pans.
Pour batter evenly into loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Allow to cool before freezing or serving.
