It's that time of the year again when all kinds of pumpkin recipes start to surface. One of my favorite treats during the fall season is moist pumpkin bread!
This easy pumpkin bread recipe is topped with a delicious streusel topping, turning classic pumpkin bread into a gourmet dessert bread.
The streusel mixture is similar to what you'd expect from a pumpkin coffee cake - moist crumbs that add sweetness and texture to the pumpkin loaf.
If you love pumpkin bread recipes be sure to try these next time too - Pumpkin Banana Bread, Pumpkin Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips.
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Ingredients
- Flour - All-purpose flour is a sturdy option for dessert bread. You could use gluten-free flour instead such as Bob’s Red Mill (with xanthan gum). I also like to sift the flour so that no lumps form in the bread batter.
- Butter - I’ve used melted unsalted butter in this pumpkin bread but you could use salted butter instead and omit the salt called for in the recipe. Once melted, allow the butter to cool before combining it with the other ingredients.
- Spices - I’ve used ground cinnamon and pumpkin spice in this recipe. You could omit the cinnamon since pumpkin pie spice typically includes cinnamon anyway but I enjoy that extra kick of warm spices in this bread.
- Sugar - I’ve used half brown sugar and half granulated sugar in the pumpkin bread batter. The white granulated sugar adds sweetness and a crispy crust around the baked bread while brown sugar creates moisture and depth of flavor. I don’t recommend using just one type of sugar in this recipe as it could affect the texture.
- Baking powder and baking soda - Check the expiry date on the packaging of these products, as it’s important that they create a good rise in the bread.
- Egg - Room temperature is best for mixing the egg into the dry ingredients, creating a smooth textured bread batter.
- Pumpkin puree - Pumpkin pie filling is not a suitable alternative to pure pumpkin puree, so don’t get these two mixed up. The puree gives the bread a cake-like texture and a good amount of moisture. A good brand of canned pumpkin is Libby’s pumpkin puree, but you can use another brand of choice instead or even make your own pumpkin puree from roasting pumpkin.
- Vanilla extract - I use good-quality vanilla extract in most dessert bread and other baked treats.
- Brown sugar streusel - The crumbly topping is a mixture of unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. You can add more cinnamon if you like which will darken the color of the streusel.
- For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Beat the eggs with a mixer on low, and add melted butter, sugars, and vanilla. Mix again until combined.
In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Mix on low. Add pumpkin puree.
I like to keep the puree wrapped in linen or some sort of cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture, even with canned pumpkin puree. It really helps with the bread's texture.
In a large bowl combine streusel topping ingredients until you get crumbs. The easiest is to use your hands for this!
Pour half of the batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf tin (greased or lined with parchment paper). Add half of the streusel topping and carefully add another layer of batter. Top with streusel topping.
Bake for 55 minutes to an hour until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, dry, or with a few breadcrumbs.
Let the bread rest in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut in slices and serve right away.
Tips
- Since every oven differs, I recommend that you check on your pumpkin bread after 55 minutes of its baking. If the bread requires further baking but the top is getting too brown, cover the bread with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking.
- I always prefer to eat this pumpkin bread within 2 days of baking for best texture and taste, but it can be stored for longer in the fridge. Learn how to properly store and reheat pumpkin bread.
- Whether you’re using homemade pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin puree, it’s best to remove as much moisture from this ingredient as possible so that the excess liquid doesn’t affect the baked bread. Squeeze excess water from the pumpkin puree using a clean fine cloth and a fine mesh strainer.
- I prefer to make my own homemade pumpkin puree by roasting pumpkin in the oven at 400F until it is soft enough to puree. Making your own pumpkin puree will also produce a better-tasting pumpkin quick bread.
- It’s important that your cubed butter is very cold when making the streusel topping, preferably almost frozen. The cold butter will create the perfect crumble texture instead of a batter-like or pastry consistency.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
Allow your pumpkin banana bread to cool completely and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
You can keep it longer, for about 4-5 days as well but the texture may not be the same and moist anymore.
Freeze in an airtight container, preferably wrapped individually in parchment paper, for up to 3 months.
More in-depth about storing pumpkin bread in this post.
Serving Suggestions
What do you serve pumpkin bread with?
I like my pumpkin banana bread simple as it is - just plain butter on a warm slice of bread.
But you can also serve this bread with:
- Homemade Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
- Nutella
- Whipped Cream
- Almond Butter
- Plain or flavored Cream cheese with sugar, cinnamon, or vanilla
- Peanut, almond, apple, or Cinnamon honey butter
- Homemade Berry Jam
- Honey, maple syrup or agave syrup
Frequently Asked Questions
A typical streusel topping is made with butter, sugar, and flour. Since this recipe is made for pumpkin season, I’ve added ground cinnamon to the crumbly streusel topping for added spice and warmth in this dessert bread.
While the terms are often used interchangeably, streusel is usually a finer, smaller crumb topping while a classic crumb topping consists of larger-sized crumbs. Streusel is more often used on muffins, mini dessert pies, and sweet bread, whereas a crumb topping is usually added to larger dessert pies and cakes.
This can happen if the streusel ingredients were over-mixed or if the butter was too warm. Both will result in a batter-like consistency instead of creating single crumbs.
Pumpkin bread is certainly one of the healthier dessert bread options. The pumpkin puree in this bread is loaded with vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All of these contribute to general health although this doesn’t mean that you should ever over-indulge. It is, after all, still a dessert bread!
This delicious pumpkin streusel bread has a mild pumpkin flavor - the pumpkin puree is not overpowering at all, similar to sweet potatoes. The dessert bread is sweetened slightly by the cinnamon streusel topping while the bread itself is not too sweet and has a lovely balance of warm spice.
Thank you so much for reading about Pumpkin bread with streusel topping. Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have! I love reading your feedback.
Rita
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Pumpkin Bread With Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 2 cups + ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 + ½ cup pumpkin puree such as libbys or homemade, I prefer to roast it in the oven at about 400 F until pumpkin is soft enough to blend it into puree easily
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temp
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel Topping
- 8 tablespoon Unsalted butter very cold, cut into smaller cubes, almost frozen
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1-2 teaspoon ground cinnamon more you add the darker the streusel topping will bake.
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Beat the eggs with a mixer on low, and add melted butter, sugars, and vanilla. Mix again until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Mix on low. Add pumpkin puree. I like to keep the puree wrapped in a linen or some sort of cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture, even with canned pumpkin puree. It really helps with the bread texture.
- In a large bowl combine streusel topping ingredients until you get crumbs. The easiest is to use your hands for this!
- Pour half of the batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf tin (greased or lined with parchment paper). Add half of the streusel topping and carefully add another layer of batter. Top with streusel topping.
- Bake for 55 minutes to an hour until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, dry, or with a few breadcrumbs. Let the bread rest in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut in slices and serve right away.
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Pumpkin bread with sweet streusel topping