Pumpkin bread, but not the overly-spiced, sugar-laden, let-the-belt-out-a-notch kind. Who doesn’t want that? This pumpkin bread recipe, in particular, is tempered with beer and is light as a feather.
We all know that everything is better with beer – there’s probably some science out there to support that. So it stands to reason that a pumpkin beer should exponentially improve pumpkin bread.
It turns out that San Diego-based food and beer writer Brandon Hernandez has tested and proven this theory. Brandon writes a food-centric column for West Coaster, the beer magazine.
Indulge in the Exhilarating Aroma: Irresistible Pumpkin Beer Bread!
This pumpkin beer bread recipe is delightfully straightforward. Cream the butter and sugar, add the dry ingredients – you know the drill with bread recipes!
The hardest part is waiting the hour it takes for this beer bread to bake!
Your patience is rewarded with soft, fluffy pumpkin beer bread with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Ground pecans give it some body, and the flavors of pumpkin and malt come through to make for a truly unique bread.
The most exhilarating section of this pumpkin bread recipe is grating in fresh nutmeg. This spice has one of the best smells in existence.
Pumpkin Beer Bread
Ingredients
Pumpkin Beer Bread
- ½ cup pumpkin beer
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 nos. eggs large
- 1 cup mashed pumpkin canned or roasted and mashed
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup pecans pulverized
- ¼ tsp cinnamon ground
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup Maple Spice Crème Fraîche recipe follows
Maple Spice Creme Fraiche
- 1 cup Crème Fraîche
- 1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
- ¼ tsp clove ground
Instructions
Pumpkin Beer Bread
- Pour the beer into a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream the butter and the sugar together using an electric mixer.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the mashed pumpkin puree, baking soda(baking powder if you don’t have baking soda), salt, flour, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and beer. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Use a spatula to transfer the mixture to a greased loaf pan.
- Place in the oven and bake until a long toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Maple Spice Creme Fraiche
- Mix all of the ingredients together until they are completely incorporated. Chill or serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Choose a flavorful pumpkin ale to enhance the beer bread’s taste, like a spiced pumpkin ale or a maple-infused one.
- To make this pumpkin beer bread healthier, use whole wheat flour and switch to light beer(low in calories).
- Use canned pumpkin puree for convenience, but for a more authentic and flavorful touch, roast fresh pumpkin and puree it right before cooking this bread.
- Make a batch of pumpkin pie spice mix before cooking your pumpkin beer bread. This way, you don’t have to measure out individual spices each time you make this bread. You can also use that mix if you make pumpkin pie the next time.
- For a nut-free option, omit the pecans or replace them with pumpkin seeds for added crunch.
- To modify this pumpkin beer bread recipe, add pumpkin spice latte instead of pumpkin beer for a unique twist that infuses coffee flavors into the bread while retaining the pumpkin flavor.
- You can even make muffins or cupcakes using the same pumpkin bread recipe.
- Pair the pumpkin beer bread with a warm chai latte or a pumpkin spice latte for a cozy fall treat.