This one-bowl easy-to-make maple pumpkin bread uses both maple syrup and maple extract to give an amazing autumnal flavor.
It’s true that I have a number of pumpkin bread recipes here on the blog, including my sugar-encrusted pumpkin bread, my not-so-basic pumpkin spice latte bread, my banana pumpkin bread, and my marbled chocolate pumpkin bread. But there’s always room for one more pumpkin bread recipe right? And there’s nothing more autumnal than the smell of pumpkin something baking in the kitchen. Unless that something is the combination of maple and pumpkin! This maple pumpkin bread might just be my new Fall go-to pumpkin recipe.
How to make this bread
This recipe, like my classic sugar encrusted pumpkin bread recipe is super easy to make. It involves one bowl and no mixer. Whisk together pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix), maple syrup (not pancake syrup), olive oil, brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, maple extract, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Then fold in whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
Spread the batter in a large 9 x 5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper (or generously greased), sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top and bake! Once done, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Do I have to use whole wheat?
Whole wheat in this bread serves two purposes. It adds flavor (and some additional nutrients). But more importantly, it absorbs liquid more. Both pumpkin puree and maple syrup have a lot of water in it. To keep the loaf from being too dense or soggy, I opted to use whole wheat in the recipe. This whole wheat helps absorb the water from both ingredients, helping balance the texture of the bread.
If you don’t have whole wheat flour, or don’t feel like buying a whole bag for this recipe, you can swap out all-purpose flour, but I recommend adding an additional 1/4 cup when you do. In total, you should use 3 cups of all-purpose flour in the recipe.
What’s the purpose of the maple extract?
I tested this recipe with just maple syrup, with maple syrup and brown sugar, and with maple sugar, brown sugar and maple extract. The loaf with brown sugar and maple extract had the most flavor and right amount of sweetness. If you want a less sweet pumpkin bread, you can leave the brown sugar out, but I found the brown sugar added just the right amount of sweetness, moisture, and added flavor dimension. The molasses in the brown sugar works with the maple sugar to create a deeper flavor.
The version without the maple extract had only a hint of maple flavor in it. Adding more maple syrup would mean adding more liquid to the batter. Using maple sugar, which is a granulated sugar made from maple sap, is a great solution, but maple sugar is both challenging to find for a lot of folks (unless you are Canadian or live in the Northeastern part of the U.S.) and expensive. If you have access to maple sugar, you can easily swap out the brown sugar for the maple sugar and reduce or omit the maple extract. But the easiest and best way to get a rich maple flavor was to add in the maple extract, which is found in most well stocked grocery stores.
What pumpkin puree should I use?
Despite the name, not all canned pumpkin is the same. I tested and developed this recipe using Libby’s pumpkin puree, which is the dominant grocery store brand and the easiest to find. Libby uses Dickinson pumpkin, a squash similar to butternut squash, in their canned pumpkin. Other canned pumpkin use different squash, gourds or pumpkins in their cans.
You can see the difference in liquid between the Trader Joe’s organic pumpkin puree and the Libby’s. The Libby brand is a darker and more vibrant orange and has less liquid in it than the Trader Joe’s.
If you use a different brand of pumpkin puree, I recommend cooking the pumpkin puree in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly, until some of the liquid has cooked out and the pumpkin puree has darkened in color and thickened. I typically reduce a can of pumpkin puree from 1 3/4 cups of puree down to 1 1/2 cups of puree when I do this and then bake as directed. This ensures the final product isn’t soggy or heavy. With maple syrup used as the sweetener, this is important, as the maple syrup already contributes a lot of water to the recipe.
What is Pumpkin Pie Spice blend?
Pumpkin pie spice blend is mix various wintery and warm spices used in both pumpkin pie and also in pumpkin baked goods. The dominant flavor in pumpkin pie spice is cinnamon, with secondary spices like ginger, cloves, and nutmeg added in to give dimension and depth. You can buy pumpkin pie spice blend at most grocery stores. Or you can make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice blend.
If you don’t feel like mixing a batch of pumpkin pie spice for this recipe, and don’t want to buy a container of it, just substitute 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg in place of the 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend in the recipe.
How long does this bread keep?
Store this pumpkin bread at room temperature under a cake dome, in an airtight container, or wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 or 4 days. You can also freeze the pumpkin bread. Tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and then place it in a heavy-duty Ziploc resealable bag for up to 2 months.
If you like this pumpkin bread, here are some other pumpkin recipes:
Maple Pumpkin Bread
This maple pumpkin bread tastes like autumn in every single slice. Be sure to use real maple syrup and not maple flavored pancake syrup in the recipe and don’t omit the maple extract unless you only want a hint of maple flavor. I developed this recipe using Libby canned pumpkin puree. I have a note above about why I used this particular brand as well as what to do if you use a different brand of pumpkin puree. It’s also vital you use a larger 9 x 5 loaf pan. Smaller pans will overflow, as this is a larger loaf of pumpkin bread! If you use a smaller loaf pan, fill the pan up to about 2/3 full and bake off any remaining batter in muffin tins (about 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F) for maple pumpkin muffins.
Ingredients
Bread Batter
- 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 425 g or 15 oz, preferably Libby’s brand (see section above)
- 1 cup maple syrup (not pancake syrup) 310 g
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 75 g
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 55 g
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice store-bought or homemade (see section above)
- 2 teaspoons maple extract see section above
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 235 g
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 175 g
Topping
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.Place the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, maple extract, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
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Add the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour to the bowl. Gently fold in, until the flour is mostly incorporated. Don’t over mix as that will lead to a tough bread. It’s ok if there are one or two small pockets of dry flour here or there.
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Spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking oil. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out on top. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top. Bake for 85 to 90 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean from the center, or an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle reads 200°F to 205°F.Place the pan on a wire cooling rack and let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then grab the parchment paper and lift the loaf up and move the bread to a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before cutting into it.
Nutrition
Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 53.3g | Protein: 11.9g | Fat: 20.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.8g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 3598mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13.4g | Calcium: 1522mg | Iron: 11mg
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