The fragrance of the changing season wafts from the hot oven; toasted walnuts and the scent of pumpkin hang in the air. And when you slather butter on a slice of this hot Pumpkin Bread and take the first of many bites—autumn has arrived.
This is the easiest (and tastiest) bread you’ll ever make. (All photos credit: George Graham)
This four-ingredient bread is as convenient as it sounds. But don’t let the short ingredient list fool you; this Pumpkin Bread delivers on taste. Deep notes of vanilla bean mix with the unmistakable punch of pumpkin with crunchy walnuts providing back notes of flavor.
The ease of this recipe is based on the melted ice cream bringing the cream, eggs, and vanilla to the flavor foundation of this bread. During the holiday season, I’ve seen pumpkin-flavored ice cream in the freezer case, so feel free to try that as well.
Once you’ve tried this recipe, I know your culinary creativity will kick in. Banana bread, anyone? How about rum raisin bread? With the variety of available ice cream flavors, the possibilities are endless.
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- 2 cups vanilla bean ice cream, melted
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Spray a 5 x 9-inch (or similar size) non-stick loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, ice cream, pumpkin puree, walnuts, and mix. Pour into the loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake until golden brown, about 1 hour. Use a bamboo skewer to test for doneness; remove and let cool before slicing.
- Slice and serve the bread with hot coffee and softened butter on the side.
A delicious fall breakfast bread.
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If I wanted to use fresh pumpkin, ’tis the season, what would I need to do to prepare the fresh pumpkin?
Hey Tyler – You can bake or boil it. To reduce the moisture content, I recommend baking. It is essentially a matter of: 1) cut the pumpkin in half, 2) scoop out all the seeds and membrane, 3) chop the pumpkin into chunks, and 4) bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. Once cooled, remove the cooked pulp to a sealable container and refrigerate. Pretty simple. All the best.
Will all-purpose flour and baking soda or baking powder work?
David – I presume that it will work rather than using the self-rising flour, but I do not have the flour/baking powder ratio. Give it a try or just go pick up a bag of self-rising flour. Once you make this easy recipe, you’ll be using it for many more breads. All the best.
Pumpkin purée comes in a large and small can. Did I overlook the size? Thank you!
Hey Mary – I did not specify the size of can since the recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin purée. 1 cup is 8 ounces, so buy accordingly. All the best.