Easy Pumpkin Bread

pumpkin bread on a pink plate sliced in pieces - square

My family’s easy pumpkin bread recipe is moist, perfectly spiced, and beyond delicious. Bake it to perfection and top with cream cheese or serve plain!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Breads

Keyword easy pumpkin bread, pumpkin bread, sweet bread

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 15

Servings slices

Calories 231kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

2/3 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
15 ounces pumpkin puree (1 can)
2/3 cup water

Dry Ingredients

3 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix In

2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two bread pans.
In a mixer, add shortening, brown and white sugar and mix until just combined.
2/3 cup shortening, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
Add pumpkin, eggs and water and mix until combined.
4 eggs, 15 ounces pumpkin puree, 2/3 cup water
Add flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Use the low setting on the mixer and work up to higher until combined.
3 1/3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Stir in nuts and raisins and divide batter equally between the two pans
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins
Bake for 1 hour, 5 minutes.
After an hour, use a cake tester or toothpick to check that the bread is done. The tester should come out clean. If it's not done, continue baking for 5 more minutes.
Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan and transferring it to a wire rack.
Cut a slice.
Take a bite.
Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips

Do you hate getting your fingers greasy? Here's a hack: put a sandwich baggie on your hand before dipping it in the butter, Crisco or whatever shortening you use. Spread it all over the inside of the bread pans. When you're done, pull the baggie off your hand and throw it away. Clean hands = happy baker.
Did you know they sell block Crisco? So easy to measure out and less mess.
Use canned pumpkin puree NOT canned pumpkin pie filling as it is too sweet.
Use your stand mixer but do not over mix at any step.
When you mix all the wet ingredients, it will be watery - you will also see little balls of shortening in it, so don't stress, it doesn't matter.
I use sprouted spelt flour. But you can replace it with all-purpose flour.
No sifting involved, just put the dry ingredients in, as is.
I would put chocolate chips in this bread but hubby likes it without. Try it both ways to see what you think.
Sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. It adds a deeper flavor but I prefer it as written.
You can freeze one of the loaves for later consumption. First wrap it in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Add the wrapped bread in a freezer bag and it will last up to 6 months.

Nutrition