Pumpkin Yeast Bread

This homemade pumpkin yeast bread is incredibly soft and fluffy, just like a regular sandwich loaf, but infused with a delightful warmth. Prepared using basic ingredients—including all-purpose flour, milk, and yeast—it gets its signature flavor from homemade pumpkin puree (canned works perfectly, too!) The result is a mildly earthy, spiced, and deeply satisfying bread that is perfect for slicing or easily rolled into delicious pumpkin dinner rolls.

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For many home bakers, mastering a truly perfect homemade yeast bread is an ultimate goal, as it’s a fantastic way to skip those bland, store-bought loaves! That’s why I’ve been working hard to bring this new variation for 2 months. Using my regular white bread and semolina sandwich bread as starting points. The result is a pumpkin loaf that is both wonderfully soft and sturdy enough for slicing and toasting. If you love homemade bread and want to infuse it with a pumpkin flavor, you’ll enjoy this pumpkin yeast bread recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Yeast Bread

• Make-ahead options and freezing instructions
• Chewy crust with soft texture inside
• Packed with a blend of spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger—and tons of pumpkin flavor
• Egg-free recipe
• Excellent for everyday uses like toast and sandwiches, and can be used in French toast with maple syrup, grilled cheese, or bread pudding.

Ingredients You Need & Why

• Milk & Water: Whole milk adds tenderness and richness, while water ensures a well-formed loaf structure. Low-fat or nondairy milk also works, but whole milk truly makes the texture softer and keeps the bread soft for longer.
• Yeast: You can use active, fresh, or instant yeast. Note that active dry yeast requires slightly longer rising, while fresh yeast requires 3 times the dry amount.
• Brown or Cane Sugar: Sugar tenderizes the dough, feeds the yeast, and increases its activity. You can also use granulated white sugar.
• Pumpkin: Pumpkin puree adds real pumpkin flavor and lots of moisture that softens the bread. I use homemade pumpkin puree, but you can also use canned pumpkin—not pumpkin pie filling.
• Flour: While bread flour is the ideal choice, I use all-purpose flour for user convenience. Either flour will work equally well, and there are no changes to the recipe.
• Salt: You can’t make flavorful bread without salt.
• Spices: Pumpkin bread isn’t pumpkin bread without warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. You can add or omit any to suit your taste.  
• Fat: I prefer using extra virgin olive oil, as it delivers the necessary richness, fruitiness, and moisture to the yeasted pumpkin bread, and ensures a subtle depth of flavor that complements the spices. Butter is also workable, but keep in mind that you must use 25% more by amount.

In Picture: How to Make Pumpkin Yeast Bread

To activate the yeast, you’ll need all of the liquid (milk + water), yeast, and sugar. Whisk this all together, cover it lightly, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, until you notice foam and froth on top. While this step is not necessary when using instant yeast, I usually take it when the weather is colder than 59°F (15°C) to check my yeast activity.

Then, pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of your mixer and stir the pumpkin puree into it. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine to form a soft dough. Add enough flour for the dough to easily come together and form a kneadable mass; the dough should gather around the dough hook. You can also make this dough even if you do not own a stand mixer, see the recipe instructions below.

Switch the mixer speed to medium and continue beating until it becomes smooth, uniform, and elastic. Once the dough passes the window test, it’s time to incorporate the oil—a step I prioritize when I make a dough rich in dairy and fat.  Add the oil, one tablespoon at a time, waiting until the dough has completely absorbed the previous addition before proceeding to add the next one. Use a spatula as needed to ensure the dough picks up all the oil from the bottom of the bowl. The dough should be very soft, extremely elastic, and have a clear sheen.

Roll it out into an 8×16-inch rectangle, then roll it up tightly, starting with the 8-inch side.

Let the dough rise again.

Bake until golden brown, about 27-30 minutes.

Additional Sandwich Yeast Breads

• Bran Yeast Bread
• Semolina sandwich Bread

Homemade Pumpkin Yeast Bread

Hafedh Garfa

This homemade pumpkin yeast bread is incredibly soft and fluffy, like a warm sandwich loaf, infused with genuine flavor from homemade or canned purée.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Bake Time 30 minutes mins

Rise Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Yeast Bread

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  

• 70 ml/grams (⅓ cup) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 70 ml/grams (⅓ cup) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 7 grams (2 ¼ tsp) instant or active dry yeast
• 25 grams (2 tbsp) brown or cane sugar
• 240 grams (1 cup) pumpkin puree
• 420 grams 3 (½ cups) bread or all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 8 grams (1 ½ tsp) sea salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅓ teaspoon ginger
• ⅓ teaspoon nutmeg
• 37 grams (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• Prepare the dough: Whisk the warmed liquid (whole milk + water), yeast, and cane sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes or until foamy and frothy on top. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this step in a large mixing bowl and in the next step mix the dough by hand or with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
• Add the pumpkin puree to the yeast mixture and whisk together until everything is combined. Add the flour and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). Using the dough hook, beat for 4 minutes on low speed until the dough comes together and gathers around the dough hook. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the flour is incorporated. If the dough is too sticky and clings to the bottom of the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the bottom while remaining tacky.
• Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch the mixer to medium speed), and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. Stop the mixer midway through this step and remove the dough from the hook to ensure an even knead throughout. If the dough becomes too sticky during kneading, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add too much flour, as the dough should remain smooth, not dry. After this step, the dough should feel smooth, uniform, and elastic. Poke the dough with your finger. If it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: Pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it out. If it stretches thin enough to let light through without tearing, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading for 1 minute intervals until it passes the windowpane test.
• Incorporate the oil: With the mixer running on low speed, add the olive oil, just 1 tablespoon at a time. Wait until the dough completely incorporates the tablespoon of olive oil before you add the next one. Use a spatula to help ensure all the oil is picked up by the dough. This whole oil incorporation process should take about 2 minutes total. You might notice about half of the dough adheres to the bottom of the bowl, while the other half clings to the dough hook— that's okay. Once all the oil has been added, continue mixing on low speed for another 3 minutes until the dough becomes very soft and shiny. The dough should then gather around the dough hook and slap the sides of the bowl again.
• 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled in size.
• Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
• Shape the bread: When the dough is ready, lightly flour a work surface. Punch the dough down to release the air. Here you have many different ways to shape a bread loaf, but here is what I do with this pumpkin yeast bread: Use a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8×16 inches. Then, roll it up into an 8-inch log and place in the prepared loaf pan.
• 2nd Rise: Cover the shaped pumpkin yeast loaf with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-1.5 hours. The bread is ready to bake when it's about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan.
• Adjust an oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
• Bake the bread: Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Turn the pan halfway through. If the top browns too quickly, cover the bread with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan on the wire rack before removing it from the pan and slicing. (It’s best to let the bread cool completely on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.)
• Cover leftover pumpkin bread tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

The temperature when I made this recipe: 59 Fahrenheit (15 Celsius).

Overnight Instructions: Follow the recipe through Step 5. Instead of letting the dough rise in a warm environment in Step 5, place the dough in the refrigerator for up to 16 hours. When you need it the next day, let the dough come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you continue with Step 7. Alternatively, you can shape the pumpkin sandwich loaf, then cover the shaped loaf and refrigerate it at 40°F (4°C) for up to 16 hours. The next day, remove the shaped loaf from the refrigerator, keep it covered, and let it rise for about 1.5 to 2 hours or until it sits about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan. before baking.

Freezing Instructions: There are many methods for freezing yeast bread for up to 3 months, but the best one is to freeze the dough after you incorporate the fat. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then let it rise for 1.5–2 hours in a warm environment before shaping. The second method involves shaping your loaf and placing it in the baking pan.

Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale with Liquid measuring cups / Measuring Cups & Spoons | Stand Mixer / Steel or Glass Mixing Bowl with a Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Bowl Scraper | Bench scraper | Rolling Pin | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Pastry Brush | Wire Rack.

Flour: You can use bread or all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is convenient  for most people, but bread flour produces chewier bread. The bread is still soft and fluffy, no matter which one you use. Either flour is fine, and there are no other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other.

Fat: I prefer using extra virgin olive oil as the fat in this recipe. However, you can use butter if you prefer, but keep in mind that you must use 25% more by amount.