Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread

Love pumpkin bread, but don’t want a sugary loaf that’s basically cake? This Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread is moist, warmly spiced and lightly sweet, with half whole wheat flour, wheat bran, and a crunchy walnut-pepita topping. I bake it with extra virgin olive oil for a tender texture, and you can make it as one large loaf, two smaller loaves, or even as muffins.

I bake for my family all the time. Whether I’m whipping up some whole wheat banana bread or my raspberry almond olive oil scones, they don’t seem to last long in my house as they get eaten up rather quickly.

I’m always trying new flavor combinations and work with whatever is in season. With fall upon us, that means apples, figs, pomegranates and of course, the epic pumpkin.

My assortment of fresh pumpkins in my house will eventually get baked for some homemade pumpkin purée. But with the new season, I had to pickup a can of pumpkin to make this olive oil pumpkin bread.

Laura says :

Why this recipe works

• Family friendly: Whole wheat flour doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker for picky eaters. This pumpkin bread combines regular flour with whole wheat flour and fiber-rich wheat bran, so you get the benefits of whole grains without making the loaf taste like a brick of health food.
• Moist and tender: Extra virgin olive oil keeps this quick bread wonderfully moist and tender without butter. Ever since I wrote my olive oil cookbook, I almost exclusively bake with olive oil. You can learn more about why I love it for baking in my how to bake with olive oil guide.
• Not overly sweet: This is pumpkin bread, not pumpkin cake! I use less sugar called for in many traditional pumpkin bread recipes, letting the pumpkin and warm spices shine without making the loaf overly sweet.
• Crunchy topping: A generous topping of walnuts and pepitas adds a little crunch and extra texture to every slice.
• One recipe, three ways: Bake one large loaf like I did, divide the batter between two smaller loaves, or turn it into muffins. It’s an easy recipe to adapt depending on what you’re serving, or how quickly you want to eat it!

Ingredients needed

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• Extra virgin olive oil: If you’ve read my blog before, then you learned your lesson on how to bake with olive oil. Be sure to use a mild tasting olive oil for this quick bread recipe, not a peppery one.
• Pumpkin purée: You can use homemade of canned pumpkin purée.
• Plain Greek yogurt: Whole wheat flour needs lots of moisture and yogurt makes your pumpkin moist and tender. For a non-dairy option, you can swap out and add extra pumpkin purée.
• Whole wheat flour: I like both Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur’s whole wheat flour. Both are excellent choices and bake beautifully.
• Wheat bran: I add wheat bran to my baked goods for extra flavor and fiber.
• Milk: You can also use any non-dairy milk like almond or oat milk.
• Eggs: Large eggs are the standard in baking.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
• Nuts and seeds: I top the bread with chopped walnuts and shelled pumpkin seeds. You can skip this or use almond slices or pecans.
• Pantry staples: Granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Step by step directions

1. Combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together flours, wheat bran, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.
2. Blend the sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk together sugars and olive oil until creamy and whipped.
3. Add wet ingredients. Mix in pumpkin purée, milk, yogurt and eggs.
4. Add dry ingredients. Add flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix until combined.
5. Assemble. Apply non-stick spray to loaf pan, line with parchment paper and pour the batter in. Top with nuts and seeds.
6. Bake the bread. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

I have been baking with whole wheat flour for over 20 years. It started with simple changes, swapping out half of the regular flour with whole grain flour. Then I started adding wheat bran.

The family didn’t notice because everything tasted delicious. Whole wheat flour requires a bit more moisture than regular flour, so I made sure there was plenty of pumpkin as well as a little Greek yogurt.

Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

This moist and tender Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread is made with whole wheat flour and wheat bran, lightly sweetened, and topped with crunchy walnuts and pepitas. It's pumpkin bread that's wholesome enough for breakfast but delicious enough to disappear by snack time!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Additional Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Muffins & Scones

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 330 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup wheat bran
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 15 oz pumpkin purée
• ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup walnuts chopped
• ¼ cup pepitas

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Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flours, wheat bran, baking, powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
• Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk together both sugars and olive oil until creamy and whipped.
• Mix in milk, pumpkin purée and yogurt until combine. Mix in eggs.
• Add flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix until combined.
• Apply non-stick spray to a large 10 inch x 5.5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and top with chopped walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
• Bake bread in oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
• Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Great as muffins, too! Instead of walnuts you can also use almonds or pecans.

Baking Suggestions: You can also make two smaller loaves or muffins.

TO STORE: I usually store it in foil and keep it on the kitchen counter for up to 4 days, as long as it is not hot. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze slices or a whole loaf. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 7gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 313mgPotassium: 247mgFiber: 4gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 5630IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 2mg

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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