My favorite pumpkin bread recipe

Pumpkin Harvest Bread

from Leslie Mackie’s Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook

makes 2 loaves



1/2 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 cup pumpkin seeds (I used sunflower seeds, because we had them)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or not)
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil two 9″x5″x3″ loaf pans.
Place the nuts and seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, then chop medium fine. Turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Reserve 1/4 cup of the nuts and seeds for topping the loaves; stir the rest into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the oil and two types of sugar. Using the paddle attachment, mix at medium speed for 4 minutes. Add the squash and mix 2 minutes more. Add eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate each egg before adding the next.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Alternately add small amounts of the flour mixture and buttermilk to the bowl, stirring just until flour is incorporated into batter.

Pour the batter into the oiled loaf pans. Sprinkle with the reserved nuts and seeds.

Bake the loaves for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in middle of loaf comes out dry. Let cool in pans for 20 minutes before turning loaves out onto a cooling rack. Then see how long you can wait, with that sweet spicy aroma filling your kitchen, before you slice into a loaf.