Now that the weather has finally cooled off a bit, I’m in full fall baking mode (as much as I can be with a one month old strapped to me 24/7)! As you can probably tell, I’m a bit obsessed with pumpkin. Unfortunately for me Stephen isn’t wild about it. So usually I make smaller portioned recipes or give away most of the pumpkin goodies I make. This time around I decided to make miniature pumpkin bread loaves and mix in my favorite toppings. With so much variety you really can’t go wrong! I kept all of these beauties to myself, snacking on them throughout the day and eating them throughout the rest of the week. I think the flavor gets better and better as the days pass, the sweet spiciness of the bread becomes more vibrant. Now if you don’t want to make so many different kinds, don’t worry, you can do what you please, or if you don’t have or want to use a mini loaf pan, you can aways bake the batter in a 9×5″ pan which yields one standard size loaf. No matter what you decided to put in these or how you decided to bake them, I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
optional toppings
- chocolate chips or butterscotch chips
- cranberries
- cinnamon and sugar
- pecans or walnuts - chopped
- pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a miniature loaf pan* or one 9×5 inch loaf pan with baking spray. Lightly dust with flour, remove any excess by patting it upside down over the sink or a garbage can, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars. Mix until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, water, and vanilla, mix until smooth. Add in one egg at a time, mixing after each addition.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Now you can either mix in the “toppings” or actually put them on top, the choice is yours.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, if desired, sprinkle additional toppings over the batter. Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or 50-60 minutes for one standard loaf. The tops should be slightly dark, but should not be burnt! They will spring back after touched. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 20 minutes (or 45 for a standard loaf) before removing. Allow to cool on a wire rack for an additional 30 minutes before eating.
NOTES
Nutrition
Adapted from allrecipes.com, Pumpkin Bread
Yum, yum! I love a good pumpkin bread and you know I can’t resist mini loaves.