Tis the season. The best season. The season of pumpkin spice and everything nice. As it’s finally fall (today was the first day of fall weather here in NYC), I decided to make a batch of my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The problem is that I always have leftover pumpkin, so it seemed like a natural choice to bake a pumpkin bread loaf. What else do you want on a brisk, crisp fall day than a dense slice of moist bread tasting like the promise of pumpkin pie with just a hint of coffee?
Pumpkin bread is a type of quick bread. All quick bread recipes were created after baking powder and baking soda were introduced in 1845 and then came into high demand during the American Civil War, when quick and transportable recipes were desperately needed. This pumpkin recipe follows the same basic components and structure as a traditional banana or zucchini bread - a wet flavored mixture with a dry mix containing a chemical leavener and flour.
You can adapt this recipe as you see fit. I’ve chosen to use only all-purpose flour for a traditional, dense, banana-bread-like crumb. If you prefer, you can replace up to 1/2 of the flour for either cake flour or bread flour, depending on whether you prefer a lighter, cake-like crumb or a more structurally-sound and dense crumb.
pumpkin bread
15 oz pumpkin puree (I strictly use Libby’s)
105 g canola oil
20 g molasses
3 large eggs
200 g granulated sugar
100 g dark brown sugar
295 g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Coffee Icing
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp brewed coffee or espresso
1/4 c confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter/grease a loaf pan (6 cup) and/or line with parchment.
In a stand mixer, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, molasses, and both sugars. Beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix well and slowly beat into the wet mixture until fully combined but do not mix longer than that. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until tester comes out clean and inside of bread registers 190 F. Remove and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, combine cream, coffee, and add confectioners sugar until desired pourable consistency is reached. It should be liquid but moderately thick, so that it can coat the back of a spoon and hold a line if you draw one through with your finger. Once bread is cooled, pour coffee icing drizzle over top.
Serve. Preferably with coffee or tea.
