One Step to Better Pumpkin Bread

The chocolate chips turn this orange-and-black loaf into the perfect Halloween (trick-or-) treat! Sally Staub

Quick breads should be moist but not soggy, so we often need to get rid of extra liquid in the batter. In some recipes, like zucchini bread, we squeeze all the excess water out of the shredded zucchini to avoid a soggy loaf. We can’t squeeze our pumpkin puree (that would be messy!), but cooking has the same effect.

With heat, some of the water in the puree evaporates, helping keep the finished loaf moist but not soggy. As a bonus, cooking the puree takes away the raw pumpkin flavor and gives it some earthy caramel flavor. Add a little cinnamon and nutmeg, and this bread smells (and tastes) like autumn.

Cooking the puree takes away the raw pumpkin flavor and gives it some earthy caramel flavor. Evgrafova Svetlana/shutterstock

The chocolate chips turn this orange-and-black loaf into the perfect Halloween (trick-or-) treat!

Pumpkin Bread With Chocolate Chips

Serves 10

• Vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
• 3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 1/2 cup packed (3 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) chocolate chips

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray inside bottom and sides of an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch metal loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.

In a large saucepan, combine pumpkin puree, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until mixture just begins to bubble, 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add sugar, brown sugar, and oil to pumpkin mixture and whisk until combined. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes. Whisk again until very smooth.

Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined and no dry flour is visible. Stir chocolate chips into batter. Do not overmix. Scrape batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pumpkin bread comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and let pumpkin bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Remove pumpkin bread from pan. Let pumpkin bread cool on the cooling rack for at least 1 hour. Transfer to a cutting board, slice, and serve.