If you’ve never made pumpkin bread with fresh milled flour, this is such a great place to start. Warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and just a hint of cloves fill the kitchen while it bakes, and the fresh milled wheat gives the loaf a really nice flavor that works so well with pumpkin. It comes out soft, moist and gently spiced, just right with a cup of coffee or tea.
I love bread of all kinds. Who doesn’t, right? Whether it’s good old-fashioned sandwich bread, sourdough, cornbread or a soft and moist banana bread, I love them all. When fall hits, I love baking with pumpkin and spices, so this bread is a must. There’s just something about a warm loaf of pumpkin bread that hits the spot right now.
This fresh milled version is one of those simple recipes that works for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert. Add a little butter if you like or eat it plain; it’s delicious either way.
Fresh Milled Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This is an easy and flexible recipe. Even better, this recipe makes two loaves so you can enjoy one now and stash the other in the freezer. Bake once, and a few weeks from now you could be enjoying a warm slice of pumpkin bread with zero effort!
About This Recipe
After I made a few batches of my Fresh Milled Soft Pumpkin Cookies, I decided it was time for pumpkin bread. Of course, I wanted to use fresh milled flour, and I was really happy with how it turned out. The loaf stayed soft and moist, with plenty of pumpkin flavor and warm spice. You really wouldn’t guess it was made with whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
Key Ingredients
Flour: I made this with 100% unsifted fresh milled soft white wheat flour. Soft white wheat is one of my favorite choices for quick breads and cookies because it has a mild flavor and gives baked goods a softer texture than hard wheat.
If you don’t mill your own flour, you can still make this recipe with store-bought flour. All-purpose flour can be substituted without any changes. You can also use a blend of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour if you’d like to add some whole grain flour.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: I like to use my homemade pumpkin pie spice for all my pumpkin baking. I find the little jars of spice sold in the grocery stores just don’t go very far when I’m baking a lot of pumpkin treats. If you don’t want to mix your own, feel free to sub your favorite brand, or just use the individual spices as noted in the recipe.
Oil: Use a mild flavored oil such as vegetable, canola, avocado or light olive oil.
Sugar/Brown Sugar: This recipe calls for a mix of sucanat (or coconut sugar) and white sugar. However, you can use all white sugar if you prefer. I used sucanat and granulated cane sugar for the bread pictured.
Pumpkin: You’ll need a full 15oz can of unsweetened pumpkin puree. I have not tried this with homemade pumpkin puree. I’m sure that would work but you’ll need to drain it well as it tends to be wetter. If you make it with homemade puree, let me know how it goes – I’d love to hear!
Other ingredients: You will also need basic pantry and fridge ingredients including salt, leaveners, and eggs.
Instructions
It takes just a few easy steps to mix this easy bread. I used a hand mixer but you could also use a whisk.
Step 1: Grease and flour two 8 x 4 loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, sugar(s) and eggs. Mix on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4: Add pumpkin puree and mix until smooth, about a minute.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed or with rubber spatula just until moistened. As with all quick breads, we want to avoid overmixing.
Step 6: Divide the batter into the prepared pans.
Step 7: Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
FAQs
Can I use a different flour?
I tested this recipe with 100% unsifted fresh milled soft white wheat flour. Soft white wheat gives the bread a tender texture and mild flavor, which works especially well in quick breads. You could also try another soft grain or a blend of hard and soft wheat, although I have not tested those variations in this recipe.
If you’re using store-bought flour, all-purpose flour will give you the most traditional taste and texture. You can also use half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat flour if you’d like to include some whole grain flour.
Can I use mix-ins in this bread?
Absolutely. Chocolate chips are a classic with pumpkin bread and would be delicious here. You could also try chopped walnuts or pecans for a nutty crunch. I recommend keeping total add-ins to a max of 3/4 cup total, so the bread still bakes up nicely without getting too heavy.
How should I store pumpkin bread?
Keep it wrapped or in a covered container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or store in the fridge for one week. For longer storage, freeze the (completely cool) loaf or individual slices, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat gently, if desired, in microwave or skillet.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Fresh Milled Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- 2 8 x 4 loaf pans
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (270g) fresh milled flour (I used soft white wheat) see recipe notes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ¼ tsp each nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves
- 2/3 cup mild oil such as vegetable, canola, avocado, or light olive oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar or sucanat or use additional granulated white sugar
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15-oz can 100% pure pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice (or individual spices) until combined. Set aside.
- In large bowl, beat the oil, sugars and eggs on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth, about a minute.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed or with rubber spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Divide the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
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