Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread
Browning the butter first is the small extra step that turns an ordinary loaf nutty and deep, and this one bakes up dark, damp in the middle, and better on the second day.
- Course
- Desserts
- Time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Servings
- 10
Cooking Notes
- Brown the butter until the milk solids are amber and nutty, then cool it before mixing with the eggs. Butter that is too hot can partially cook the egg mixture on contact.
- Pumpkin contributes substantial moisture, so measure it accurately and resist adding extra for stronger flavor. Too much puree can make the center dense and slow to bake through.
- Fold the dry ingredients in gently and stop as soon as no flour streaks remain. Let the loaf cool before slicing so the moist crumb has time to finish setting.
Recipe Card
Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread
By Gabriella
- Category
- Desserts
- Total Time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1.75 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Turbinado sugar for the top
Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter in a light-colored pan and keep cooking it until the milk solids smell toasted and turn amber, then cool slightly.
- 2
Whisk the brown butter with the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and eggs until the batter looks satiny.
- 3
Fold in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt with a spatula, stopping the second the last dry streak disappears.
- 4
Scrape into a parchment-lined loaf pan, scatter turbinado sugar across the top, and bake at 350F for fifty-five to sixty-five minutes.
- 5
Cool in the pan for fifteen minutes, then finish cooling on a rack so the crust does not steam and soften.
