Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• ●1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ●1 teaspoon baking soda
• ●½ teaspoon baking powder
• ●½ teaspoon salt
• ●1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ●½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ●¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ●¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ●⅓ cup melted butter or neutral oil
• ●1 cup granulated sugar
• ●¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ●2 large eggs
• ●1 cup pumpkin purée (canned is fine — not pumpkin pie filling)
• ●¼ cup whole milk or buttermilk
• ●1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ●½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all the spices in a bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, whisk the melted butter, both sugars, and eggs until smooth. Add the pumpkin, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon just until combined — some small streaks of flour are fine. Fold in the nuts if using.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). The top will crack — that's normal and desirable.
7. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Though warm pumpkin bread with butter is hard to resist.)
8. *Storage:** Wrapped tightly, it keeps at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for a week. Freezes well for up to 3 months — slice before freezing so you can grab individual pieces.
9. *Seasonal note:** If you want to make your own pumpkin purée, use a sugar pumpkin (not a carving pumpkin — those are watery and flavorless). Cut it in half, scoop the seeds, roast cut-side down at 204°C (400°F) for 45 minutes, then scrape and purée the flesh. It's a satisfying project, though canned pumpkin is perfectly good and consistent.