Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread

Classic, old fashioned pumpkin bread flavor and texture, this is one of my favorite recipes. If you are looking for the flavor you can only get when baking your pumpkin bread from scratch, then this is the recipe for you.

This recipe can be made with fresh or canned pumpkin. It then brings together a traditional spice mix for a truly wonderful flavor.

The ingredients list is fairly long, but it’s incredibly easy to make. So, if you’re excited to learn how to bake an authentic loaf of pumpkin bread, you’re going to love this recipe!

Make sure to bookmark or pin it so you can find it the next time you want to bake a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread for your family.

How to Make an Old-Fashioned Loaf of Pumpkin Bread from Scratch

This recipe has been in my family for generations. I’ve been making it for so many years that when I sat down to write it up for you, I realized that I better double check the old index card to make sure I hadn’t subtly changed it over the years.

Well, I shouldn’t have been surprised. In all these years, I make it exactly the same as my grandmother and mother did.

The recipe you’ll find below is so good, no changes have been needed.

Not only that, but it’s as easy to make as mixing together your ingredients and then popping it into the oven to bake.

You are going to need a couple mixing bowls and two loaf pans, but that’s it!

Save this recipe for later: Pumpkin bread using cake mix

Traditional Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

No fancy or complicated ingredients for this pumpkin bread. We will be making it just like they did almost a hundred years ago (maybe longer).

While I have nothing against those premade mixes you can find at the store, you just can’t beat old recipes like this.

The flavor is on a whole new level. I am confident you’re going to agree.

Ingredients List

• All-Purpose Flour
• Cooked Pumpkin
• Baking Powder
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Salt
• Eggs
• Milk
• Baking Soda
• Brown Sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Pecans (optional)

Flour: I recommend using all-purpose flour. It produces a great texture, and you probably already have it in your pantry.

Spices: Old fashioned pumpkin breads generally use cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. While I have seen some versions that incorporate allspice, the spice combination in this recipe is absolutely wonderful. You can increase or decrease the amount used according to taste, but most will find the listed levels just right.

Pumpkin: This recipe works equally well with fresh or canned pumpkin. The key is to make sure it has been cooked before mixing into your bread dough. With canned pumpkin, it’s not an issue since it has already been cooked. But fresh pumpkin will need to be cooked by you. When cooking it, don’t add any spices since we will be doing that when mixing our dough.

Nuts: Pecans and walnuts are traditional stir-ins that provide a wonderful, earthy flavor. But if nuts just are not your thing, you can skip them.

Easy to Follow Recipe Instructions

When mixing your ingredients, it’s important to use two mixing bowls. One to combine our flour mixture, and the other for our pumpkin mixture.

From there, it’s simply a matter of mixing the two together before baking our pumpkin bread!

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease both loaf pans.

Step 2: In your first mixing bowl, add your all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and baking powder. Stir together.

Step 3: In second mixing bowl, combine eggs, cooked pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, oil, and baking soda. Stir together.

Step 4: Gradually stir your flour mixture into your pumpkin mixture until well combined.

Step 5: If adding nuts, stir them in now.

Step 6: Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Your pumpkin bread is done baking when an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Step 7: Cool pumpkin bread at least 10 minutes in the pan before removing. Allow loaf to mostly cool before cutting and serving.