the bread has a lovely moist texture with a soft crumb. i have been making this pumpkin bread for some years now after adapting it from my banana bread recipe which was posted 7 years back.

moist pumpkin bread

1.  whole wheat flour (wholemeal flour): i prefer to usually bake quick bread and cakes with whole wheat flour and by now i am very good at whole wheat baking. so in this recipe, too whole wheat flour is a healthy addition which gives a nice nutty flavor to the bread. note that the texture is a bit slightly heavier due to whole wheat flour. you can even use all-purpose flour wholly or have a 1:1 proportion of whole wheat and all-purpose flours.
2. pumpkin puree – when i make pumpkin bread or muffins, i always tend to make pumpkin puree at home. i steam the pumpkins in a pan or instant pot. then puree it in a blender. in the stepwise recipe and recipe card below, i have mentioned the method of making pumpkin puree. you can even sauté or roast pumpkin and make the puree. canned puree can also be subbed.
3. oil – the amount of oil added is less. in this recipe one loaf of pumpkin bread contains ¼ cup oil.
4. sugar – while baking or for any recipe, i use unrefined cane sugar. so this pumpkin bread does not have refined white sugar. you can even substitute molasses, jaggery, dates syrup, palm sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup. i would not suggest adding honey due to it getting toxic when heated. the pumpkin bread is not overly sweet but just sweet. so if you prefer you can increase the amount of sugar to 1 cup.
5. nuts and dry fruits: we always like the addition of some chopped nuts in quick breads. so here i have added some chopped walnuts, which gives a good textural contrast to the moist and soft crumb of the bread. cashews, almonds, raisins, pecans or any of your favorite nuts or dry fruits can be added. you can even add chocolate chips.

so to sum up, this pumpkin bread is

• moist
• healthy
• made with whole wheat flour
• easy one-bowl recipe
• vegan
• easily adaptable and a forgiving recipe

serving & storing pumpkin bread

serving: serve pumpkin bread as a sweet bread with breakfast or evening tea or coffee. slices of pumpkin bread can also be served as a sweet snack.

storing: you can store this pumpkin bread for about a month in the fridge and for 2 to 3 months in the freezer. since no dairy producuts are used, this pumpkin bread has a longer shelf life. the recipe makes for 1 loaf of pumpkin bread.

how to make pumpkin bread

preparation

1. first grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (8 x 2 inches). line the loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. measure the pumpkin purée and keep aside. keep the other ingredients also ready. you will need 1 cup pumpkin purée. to make 1 cup puree steam or simmer 1 cup chopped pumpkin with some water, till they are completely softened. strain and then blend the pumpkin to a smooth and thick puree adding very little water (or the stock in which pumpkin was cooked) if required.

for instant pot, steam peeled and chopped pumpkin in a steamer pan. add 1 to 1.25 cups water in the steel insert. place a trivet and then place the steamer pan on the trivet or stand. pressure cook on high for 5 to 6 minutes. do the quick pressure release.

making the wet mixture

3. in a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree. then add ½ cup sugar + 3 tablespoons (155 grams unrefined cane sugar). note that you can use brown sugar, jaggery, molasses or granulated white sugar. all work well in this recipe.

4. add the following spices – ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg powder (about 2 to 3 pinches) and a pinch of salt. you can even add 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix instead of adding these individual ground spices. you can increase the quantity of ground spices if you prefer.

5. add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence. If not using vanilla then increase the cinnamon powder to 1 teaspoon.

6. pour ¼ cup oil. use any neutral-flavoured oil. i have used sunflower oil. you can use melted unsalted butter instead of oil. if using salted butter skip adding salt.

7. add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

8. begin to mix all the ingredients with a wired whisk.

9. mix very well till the sugar has dissolved. meanwhile, preheat oven at 180 degrees celsius or 350 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

10. now add ¼ cup water or any nut milk (cashew, almond or coconut). if using canned pumpkin purée or a thick pumpkin purée, add a total of ⅓ to ½ cup water.

11. mix again very well.

sifting dry ingredients

12. take 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (180 grams), 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon baking soda in a sieve.

13. sift the dry ingredients directly on to the mixed wet ingredients. you can even sift separately and later add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

14. add ¼ cup chopped nuts. i have used walnuts. you can add almonds, cashews, raisins, pecans or even chocolate chips.

making pumpkin bread batter

15. with a spatula gently fold the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. do not overdo the folding.

16. the batter should look light and have volume. if the batter looks very thick then add about ¼ cup water and gently incorporate it in the batter. use light pressure from your hands while folding.

17. with the spatula, place the batter in the prepared loaf pan. shake and tap the pan on the kitchen counter top a couple of times to even the batter. level the surface of the batter with a spatula.

baking pumpkin bread

18. place loaf pan in the preheated oven. bake for 60 minutes to 75 minutes. Keep on the second last rack and use both the heating elements. check after 50 or 55 minutes with a bamboo skewer. if the skewer does not come out clean, then bake for some more minutes.

19. after 60 minutes to 75 minutes, when the top looks golden, check with bamboo skewer and it should be clean. keep the loaf pan on a wired rack. since tempearutes vary in various ovens, it may take less or more time for baking.

20. let the bread cool completely at room temperature. then gently remove it from the loaf pan. remove the bottom parchment paper.

21. slice and serve. you can frost the bread if you want. refrigerate the remaining bread by placing in an airtight box. i did not even allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely and it was still hot when i took the final photos. so the slices were very moist. but i strongly suggest you to let the bread cool completely at room temperature before serving. if the bread is hot, it can even break while slicing or fall apart.