How to Make Easy and Delicious Pumpkin Bread This Fall

Pumpkin bread is essentially synonymous with fall: It's always the first autumnal recipe I want to break out after Labor Day, and it just feels right when paired with a PSL. Plus it works as breakfast, dessert, and bread basket fodder (which is the definition of fall recipe #goals, if you ask me). 

Perhaps the best thing about pumpkin bread, though, is that it's one of the easiest seasonal treats you can make. To whip up a loaf of your own, just follow our Test Kitchen's simple recipe below — and don't forget to steal these expert-approved tips along the way.

1. Line your pan with parchment paper for easy bread removal. Tear off an extra-large piece of parchment paper and press it against the bottom of a greased loaf pan before baking. If you leave at least 1 inch of paper hanging over each of the long sides of your pan, you can use them to seamlessly pull your bread up and out once it's cooled.

2. Avoid over-mixing your dough. When it comes time to combine your wet and dry ingredients, be sure to mix them only until they're lightly blended. This ensures your bread won't come out too hard.

3. Make it your own with fun ingredients. To put a unique spin on pumpkin bread, we added crunchy pepitas (a type of pumpkin seed) to the top of our loaf. For an added boost of flavor, experiment with stirring in other tasty morsels, such as chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips.