Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (2024)

FAQs

Why is my pumpkin bread not moist? ›

There are a number of reasons your pumpkin bread came out dry. It's possible the particular flour you used was extra “thirsty” for liquid. Try cutting the amount of flour, or adding more milk. It's also possible your oven was too hot, or you baked the pumpkin bread for too long.

You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

Substitute Pumpkin for Eggs, Oil or Butter | LIBBY'S®

Baking soda is a leavening agent. It creates air bubbles (technically, carbon dioxide) in your batter, when heated. Without it, your baked goods will not rise to the desired levels and the airy texture you're looking for will be adversely affected.

For example, fats like butter or oil can help keep moisture in, while sugars will help to caramelize on the outside and create a golden crust. These ingredients can also play an essential role in keeping your bread moist when added in smaller quantities.

Honey adds both sweetness and moisture to breads such as challah. Be sure to use a pasteurized honey, as wild honeys contain antibacterial properties that can kill yeast. Store honey at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Honey would makes everything better, but especially sourdough.

The easiest is to spread your puree out on a cookie sheet and blot it with a paper towel. If you have a little more time on your hands, you can put your pumpkin puree either on the stove or in the oven to cook off a bit of moisture.

I use orange juice because a little liquid keeps the bread from tasting too dense. Milk works too if you don't have orange juice, but the subtle orange flavor is like magic in this bread. It just works. Chocolate Chips: Optional, but if you're a chocolate lover, pumpkin + chocolate is always a good idea.

Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.

Can I use pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin puree? ›

You'll need to add sweetener, spices, and possibly a thickener (like eggs). However, you cannot use pumpkin pie filling in place of pure pumpkin unless you are making a pie or dessert that calls for the extra ingredients.

If the pumpkin in your recipe takes the place of fat, rather than serving as flavor, try replacing it with apple sauce, apple butter or yogurt. The flavor will change, but these substitutes can provide moisture, just as pumpkin does.

Why is My Pumpkin Bread Gummy? Pumpkin bread can seem gummy or a little bit wet when the dry to wet ratio is off. If you discover that your batter is way too wet, start by including a ½ cup of flour to help stabilize it a bit more.

Setting the Oven Temperature Is Too Hot

If your oven runs hot, your bread is likely to brown and bake up on the outside before the center has a chance to fully cook. Invest in a simple oven thermometer to help verify the temperature. Make sure you have other bread baking essentials in your kitchen, too.

Bread without salt is still edible, it's just rather bland and pale. Serve with spreads, herbs, or salted butter for a boost of flavor. Better yet, use the dough for pizza crust!

Dry bread: Dry pumpkin bread is such a disappointment. To avoid dry, crumbly bread, try to keep your batter moist. Either do this by using less flour or adding more liquid — but don't add more oil. Instead, try adding orange juice or even bourbon to get some liquid into the batter.

The most important thing is to test with a toothpick before pulling the bread out. Every oven is different and times can differ. If a toothpick comes out clean it means the bread is fully cooked and will not sink.

Your Bread Has Too Much Flour

Adding too much flour is one common mistake for beginning bakers. This produces dry bread with more crumbs. The key is to find a balance between the flour and liquid ingredients in your recipe. It can be tricky because bread recipes don't always give you an exact amount of flour.

Overworking the dough can cause the gluten strands to break down, resulting in a tough and dense bread. To ensure a light and fluffy texture, knead the dough just until it becomes smooth and elastic. This usually takes about 7-10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in a stand mixer.