A pumpkin bread recipe that is moistened with coconut oil for a hint of flavor and sprinkled with cinnamon throughout. This is a fifth generation recipe that has been adapted to fit the City Folk Homestead Family’s taste. I am so excited to share it with you today!
This pumpkin bread has a delicious flavor, moist crumb, and can be served warmed, room temperature, or chilled. There are variations to this recipe, including adding walnuts if you desire. This is the easy pumpkin bread recipe you don’t want to skip out on.
This recipe is a Christmastime staple and is also perfect for a breakfast or brunch meal. My children love to eat it as a snack too, so it doesn’t last long in this house! One recipe makes two loaves in a loaf pan or eight mini loaves, which are a great gift for friends and family.
During the Christmas season, we will make a few batches of this delicious pumpkin bread to gift to family, friends, and neighbors. It is perfect to bake in disposable tin mini loaf pans and wrap with plastic wrap and a pretty ribbon. Pumpkin muffins made with the same ingredients also make a yummy treat to hand out.
Pumpkin and other warm spices typically fall under the “fall season” or “pumpkin season” categories, but our family enjoys this homemade pumpkin bread year-round. In addition to Christmastime, we enjoy this delicious treat as a quick breakfast no matter the time of year.
Serve with yogurt and granola parfaits, breakfast sausage links, or eggs and bacon and you have savory and sweet all in one meal! I tend to make a couple of batches at a time and freeze individually wrapped in aluminum foil in a freezer bag for whenever we get a hankering.
Traditional pumpkin breads use some sort of neutral oil for moist crumbs such as canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil. Our family’s adapted recipe is special because it uses coconut oil for extra moisture and a hint of additional flavor that is not found in a classic pumpkin bread recipe. The family’s original recipe does not include coconut oil and I found this little trick on accident when I didn’t have another kind of oil to use. It is now the only way I make this easy recipe because it makes the perfect pumpkin bread every single time.
We achieve delicious pumpkin flavor by using canned pumpkin in this recipe; however, it would not be difficult to substitute canned for fresh pumpkin in this type of quick bread. Cook your pumpkin and scoop out about two cups’ worth of pumpkin flesh as a homemade pumpkin puree instead of the canned pumpkin suggested in the recipe card. I have not personally tried this method (yet), so I would taste-test before cooking to ensure you do not need to add more flesh or additional spices before baking. Follow this link for more information on canned vs. fresh pumpkin and how to substitute if you are unfamiliar with the process like me.
This is hands-down the best pumpkin bread recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Happy baking!
Tips
This pumpkin-flavored quick bread recipe calls for a heaping 15oz of pumpkin pie filling (another term for canned pumpkin used in this post). I usually buy a larger can of the pumpkin so I can use as much as I need in the recipe to taste and then save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge until I can use it to make pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin muffins. We don’t let anything go to waste around here if we can help it!
This moist pumpkin bread recipe makes two loaves; therefore, I usually make one with the chopped walnuts and one without so everyone in the family is satisfied. It is also easy to accommodate everyone when making pumpkin muffins with this recipe, as you can choose to simply add walnuts to the top.
Tools you may need
Two bread loaf pans or eight disposable mini loaf pans
A large bowl and medium-sized – stainless steel are my favorites for easy clean up
Measuring cups and spoons
A can opener
An electric mixer is not necessary but could be especially helpful if doubling the recipe
A muffin tin if you choose to make pumpkin muffins instead of a pumpkin loaf
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Ingredients
All-purpose flour – I buy unbleached and in bulk at Costco
Pumpkin puree, either canned or homemade
Avocado oil or another neutral oil to grease the pans
Coconut oil – Melted until smooth. This is the star of the show aside from the pumpkin and spices, don’t forget it!
Sugar – The flavors of pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice with cinnamon, and coconut oil are only enhanced with a slight addition of sweetener. I use white sugar but you could also use brown sugar for an additional depth of flavor.
Salt
Baking soda – For extra lift as your bread bakes
Cinnamon – Enhances and adds sophistication to the pumpkin flavor (especially if using fresh pumpkin puree)
Eggs
Chopped walnuts – optional
How to make our family’s five-generation pumpkin bread recipe
Like most quick breads, this recipe begins with sifting the flour into a medium bowl and then measuring. This step is important to ensure the flour is smoothly and consistently spread throughout the loaf. Then, add the salt and baking soda and fluff all dry ingredients together with a fork.
Next, melt coconut oil in 30-second increments until liquidly smooth. Add to the large bowl with sugar. Mix oil and sugar in a large bowl until evenly combined.
Beat the eggs and add to the wet ingredients bowl. Also add your heaping helping of pumpkin at this time. Mix all wet ingredients together until combined. Your combination will begin to thicken with the addition of pumpkin. Pour the flour mixture into the larger bowl of wet ingredients.
Your wet batter will look similar to above. You want to combine until there are no more streaks of flour. As with all breads, you do not want to over-mix.
Prepare your two loaf pans or eight mini loaf pans and grease with avocado or another oil spray. You can also use softened butter to grease if you prefer.
In the picture above, I sprayed a little too much oil into the bottom of the pan but thankfully did not experience any issues because of this. You only need a light greasing on the bottom and sides of the loaf pans.
Fill pans 2/3 of the way with batter. If there is extra along the sides or top of the pan as you are filling the pan, wipe away before placing in the oven. This will save you extra elbow grease later when cleaning the pan and will prevent crispy strays along the sides.
Place your two loaf pans in a preheated oven at 350℉ on the center rack. You want to bake until the center of the loaf is fully cooked. This generally takes 50-55 minutes for two larger loaves and 28-32 minutes for the eight mini loaves.
Since moving to the homestead and learning to cook and bake with a gas stove, I have found I need to adjust timing for our particular stove by three to five minutes less than the recipe card states. The lesser times given above are what I set my timer for and adjust until the toothpick comes out clean.
Once the pumpkin bread is ready to come out of the oven, I immediately turn it upside down to release from the greased loaf pan. I then set it on a wire rack or glass plate to let the bread cool completely.
If your bread does not quickly come out of the loaf pan, you may need to let it sit for another minute or two out of the oven before trying again. It will continue to cook in the pan, however, which is why I like to keep an eye on my breads the last few minutes and take out right when it is done.
I have overcooked this bread before and although the flavor is still delicious, the moist texture is missing and that is what truly makes this the best pumpkin bread. Though our family still eats it, I don’t wait a long time to make another batch that I don’t overcook for us to enjoy after that mistake!
How to serve
In thick slices with a big slab’o butta!
On a serious note, we love to cut the loaf in individual slices and warm this bread up. Top with a healthy dab of butter on top and (for the adults) serve with a warm cup of coffee. We have also served with bacon and eggs, eaten as a snack, and more recently have used as a breakfast meal with yogurt on the side. It is surprisingly filling!
Storage
This bread typically does not last long in our house, so it is kept in an airtight container in the fridge or on the counter for a day or two. It will last longer when stored in the fridge.
If you are looking to make and freeze, let the bread cool completely before wrapping individually and storing in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to enjoy, let thaw in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
If you try this recipe and love it, please give it five stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @cityfolkhomestead and let me know what you serve this wonderful recipe with!
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Moist Pumpkin Bread with Coconut Oil
A pumpkin bread recipe that is moistened with coconut oil for a hint of flavor and sprinkled with cinnamon throughout. This is a fifth generation recipe that has been adapted to fit the City Folk Homestead Family's taste. I am so excited to share it with you today!
This pumpkin bread has a delicious flavor, moist crumb, and can be served warmed, room temperature, or chilled.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2+ teaspoons of cinnamon (to taste, more if adding fresh pumpkin puree)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of coconut oil
- 4 eggs, well beaten
- 2 cups of pumpkin puree (canned or fresh, heavy helping)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Sift flour into a medium bowl, then measure out three cups
3. Add 1 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of baking soda and fluff with a fork
4. Melt 1 1/2C of coconut oil and add into a bowl with the 2C of sugar
5. Beat eggs and add to bowl of wet ingredients. Add pumpkin and mix until well combined
6. Add dry ingredients to wet and combine until no flour streaks can be seen
7. Grease two bread loaf pans or eight mini loaf pans. Fill 2/3 of the way
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes for bread pans or 28-32 minutes for mini loaves. Toothpick should come out clear of center of the loaf
9. Remove from oven and pans to cool completely
10. Cut in thick slices and serve!
Notes
This pumpkin-flavored quick bread recipe calls for a heaping 15oz of pumpkin pie filling (another term for canned pumpkin used in this post). I usually buy a larger can of the pumpkin so I can use as much as I need in the recipe to taste and then save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge until I can use it to make pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin muffins. We don't let anything go to waste around here if we can help it!
This moist pumpkin bread recipe makes two loaves; therefore, I usually make one with the chopped walnuts and one without so everyone in the family is satisfied. It is also easy to accommodate everyone when making pumpkin muffins with this recipe, as you can choose to simply add walnuts to the top.
This looks amazing! Do you think it would work to substitute the eggs for ground flax seeds instead?
Hi Trina! Thanks for stopping by. I personally have not substituted eggs in any recipe with ground flax seeds, but this is what I found from Allrecipes.com: “If you are nervous about using a ground flax egg substitute in your recipe, start by replacing only half of the eggs called for. The flax seed will affect the color and add a nutty taste (plus great nutrition!), but it has no effect on texture, rising, or baking times.” If you have substituted in previous recipes then it surely wouldn’t hurt! It sounds like it would add a nice nutty flavor. As mentioned in the recipe, we sometimes add walnuts to the pumpkin bread loaves, so added “nuttiness” would not be in conflict with the flavor profile of the pumpkin bread. Let me know how it turns out if you try it! May be something we need to try in the winter when our chickens aren’t laying as much 🙂