Pumpkin Beer Bread Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

Why won t my pumpkin bread cook in the middle? ›

The oven temperature is off: Usually it's running too hot, and the outside looks brown before the center is baked through. But a low oven temperature can fool you too– you think you've baked long enough, but it's actually running 50 degrees too cool.

Pumpkin bread can become dense if there is not enough hydration or wet ingredients in the recipe. Another cause is overcooking the bread which can cause it to dry out. Remember, it's always easy to keep cooking if it isn't done but impossible to take cooking time back.

Pumpkin Bread Tips

Another trick is to cover your loaf with foil during the final 20 minutes of bake time. This ensures that the middle of the loaf cooks through while the top stays golden instead of burning.

If the skewer doesn't come out cleanly, cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning and return the pan to the oven to continue baking. This 10-second step isn't included in most recipes but it's a foolproof way to prevent your pumpkin bread from being overly soft, and underbaked on top.

So, to know when pumpkin bread is done, look for the crack on the top of the bread, which is a tell-tale sign it's either done or close to being done. Then stick a skewer or toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven.

Sometimes things do just need longer to bake for … whatever reason. As with any other kind of bake, the best first step to take is to weigh your ingredients. Too much or too little flour, for example, can throw off the balance.

You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

If your pumpkin spice bread is gummy or undercooked in the center, it's typically because it either 1) needed more time to bake in the oven or 2) the batter was too wet, which led the bread to collapse in on itself a bit (this happens if you measure ingredients by volume, rather than by weight: it's easy to ...

Sunflower flour does a funny thing where it turns green when baked… It's harmless, but not the most attractive food color. It doesn't affect the taste, so I'm totally fine with it.

Why did my pumpkin bread come out dry? ›

There are a number of reasons your pumpkin bread came out dry. It's possible the particular flour you used was extra “thirsty” for liquid. Try cutting the amount of flour, or adding more milk. It's also possible your oven was too hot, or you baked the pumpkin bread for too long.

If your oven isn't up to temperature consistently during the baking time, you may experience sunken cakes or loaves. Use an oven thermometer to gauge the accuracy of your oven. At the very least, try waiting 10 minutes after the oven has beeped to signify it has preheated before actually baking anything.

Setting the Oven Temperature Is Too Hot

If your oven runs hot, your bread is likely to brown and bake up on the outside before the center has a chance to fully cook. Invest in a simple oven thermometer to help verify the temperature. Make sure you have other bread baking essentials in your kitchen, too.

It's important not to use too much baking soda in recipes, as it can result in a metallic, soapy flavor. It is much more powerful than baking powder – you only need about 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of flour to leaven baked goods.

If you can, aim to bake your bread at 230°C (450°F).

Check the middle of the loaf by inserting a toothpick into a couple of spots. Pumpkin bread typically develops a crack across the top, and it's that crack where I like to check for doneness. When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. If not, bake 5-10 minutes longer and recheck.

Heat the oven to 350 F, return the bread to the oven, and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes. This will work even if the loaf has cooled, which is similar to par-baking bread. If you are concerned about the bread browning too much, tent the loaf with foil.

Why this happens: The pie was underbaked, or the oven temperature wasn't high enough. This is another problem that can occur when you haven't baked a pumpkin pie long enough, or if the oven temperature wasn't high enough.