October is undeniably pumpkin season. It’s specifically pumpkin spice season. But this PSL (pumpkin spice loaf) is not basic like its cousin, the pumpkin spice latte. Jennifer Segal’s pumpkin bread recipe is rated high for a good reason. It’s a basic recipe, but not boring. I mean, how can anything that uses clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg be boring. You’ve probably seen this pumpkin bread recipe before. And while I can’t fault it, I have made a couple of adjustments for personal textural and aesthetic preference.
Notes on Ingredients
The original recipe says to use ground spices. If you can take the extra minute to grind your cloves and nutmeg fresh, I highly recommend it. Feel free to do so with your cinnamon as well. But for some reason, I prefer pre-ground cinnamon.
I am by no means an ingredient snob. But some ingredients can’t be expected to be consistent across brands. For this reason, I have indicated Libby’s 100% Pumpkin Puree. It’s what I always use, and it never fails me in flavor or texture.
Notes on Method
The original recipe calls for creaming the sugar and butter together until combined. I think beating the butter with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer before adding the sugar is an important step. Getting the butter aerated before adding the sugar will add volume and help the sugar dissolve better. Once you add the sugar, you can continue mixing until you have a pale yellow color and fluffy texture.
A change I have made and firmly stand by is the size of my loaf pan. Originally meant to make two 8×4 inch loaves, I find the resulting loaves are short, a little dryer, and pale. Instead, I prefer making one loaf. Using a 10×4 inch loaf pan gets a slow, even bake. The result is a loaf that’s more dense and moist on the inside. And it’s just the right amount of crispy, crunchy on the outside.
Pumpkin Spice Loaf
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp gournd nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter - softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 15 oz pumkin puree - Libby's 100% pure pumpkin
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Grease and flour one 10x4 inch loaf pan
- Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ground spices
- In a separate bowl beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute
- Add in the sugar. Continue to beat at medium to medium high speed to incorporate air until mixture is pale yellow in color.
- Beat in eggs one at a time
- Add in the pumpkin. Mix to combine. Mixture will have a mottled appearance.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until well-combined
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Drop pan to bang out any air bubbles.
- Bake about 70 minutes
- Cool in pan about 10-15 minutes before turning out onto wire cooling rack to cool completely
