Pumpkin Walnut Bread in Just a Few Steps

Pumpkin walnut bread, flavored with a blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, is a wonderful snack during the cooler months for morning or afternoon tea. Quick breads do take about 50 minutes to bake, but on the plus side, they are easy to mix by hand, and when made with oil, they have a longer shelf life.

Recipes for baking are typically written for single-rack baking in the traditional Bake mode. This mode can produce a nice crumb, but thermal heat does have a drying effect on food, so for dense, heavy batters like this pumpkin bread, the Convection Bake mode is a good option for even baking and a light crumb. In the Convection Bake mode, heat is directed from the bottom and top heating elements, but the heated air is circulated by the convection fan for even cooking.

If you are baking several loaves to share with friends during the holidays, using convection allows you to load up the oven with multiple pans, and they will all cook evenly. To ensure good results, I suggest you review the rack positions recommended by your oven manufacturer when baking on multiple racks in the Convection Bake mode, and also remember to reduce the recipe temperature by 25°F.  

INGREDIENTS

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend 

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp kosher salt

2 large, room-temperature eggs

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped walnut halves and pieces

PREPARATION

Arrange the racks in the oven to bake the bread on rack position 2, counting up from the bottom.

Heat the oven in the Convection Bake mode to 325°F/165°C.

Grease a 9x5” metal loaf pan and set aside.

Whisk the flour, spice blend, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until well-combined.  Add the pumpkin, then combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Fold the batter gently to combine, then stir in the nuts.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, place it in the oven, and set the timer for 50 minutes. When the timer elapses, test the batter to see if the tester comes out clean.  If not, return the pan to the oven and bake for another 7 - 10 minutes until the tester is clean.

When you remove the pan from the oven, place it on a rack to allow air to circulate the pan and cool it.  Once cool, gently remove the bread from the pan and leave it on the cooling rack for another hour before wrapping it in plastic wrap to store.

Makes one loaf