Description
This Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Bread is a moist, flavorful fall treat featuring warm pumpkin pie spices and a crunchy pecan streusel topping. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert, this recipe yields two loaves of tender, spiced pumpkin bread with a crunchy, buttery topping for that classic bakery feel.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Streusel:
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (or granulated sugar if unavailable)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, or omit)
- 1/4 cup cold butter, diced
For the Pumpkin Bread Batter:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or substitute with 1 tablespoon cinnamon)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup melted butter or oil (cooled if butter)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Gather all your ingredients to have them ready. If brown sugar or pumpkin spice isn’t available, use granulated sugar and cinnamon as substitutes for great results.
- Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Add cold diced butter and use your fingertips or a fork to crumble it until the mixture resembles damp sand with small clumps and no visible dry flour. Place the streusel in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the batter to help it hold its shape during baking.
- Prep your pans: Grease and line two 8×4-inch loaf pans or 9×5-inch pans. Smaller pans make taller loaves; larger pans yield flatter ones. Note that this recipe makes two loaves. Baking in one pan is not recommended as it may result in an undercooked center. If you only have one pan, halve the recipe.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. The pumpkin pie spice will give a wonderful aroma.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate large bowl or measuring jug, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, pumpkin purée, and melted butter or oil. If using melted butter, ensure it has cooled slightly to prevent scrambling the eggs.
- Make the batter: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. A few lumps are okay—overmixing can lead to a tough bread texture.
- Assemble and bake: Evenly divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle the chilled streusel generously over the tops, making sure to cover to the edges. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are golden brown. Your kitchen will be filled with the cozy scent of cinnamon and pumpkin.
- Cool: Allow the loaves to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- If you don’t have brown sugar for the streusel, granulated sugar works fine.
- If pumpkin pie spice is not available, use cinnamon alone for the spice flavor.
- You can substitute chopped pecans with walnuts or omit nuts entirely for a nut-free streusel.
- Use two loaf pans for best results; baking batter in a single large pan can cause the center to remain gooey.
- If only one pan is available, halve the recipe accordingly.
- Make sure melted butter is cooled before mixing with eggs to avoid curdling.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the bread light and tender.
