Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday for many. A gathering of family and friends around a table of traditional foods and desserts is what warms our hearts. Faces, young and old and all the ages in between connecting, reflecting, laughing and relaxing. Together.
The relaxing part isn’t easy to achieve, especially for the cook or those involved in the preparation. Thanksgiving is a holiday about gratitude, thankfulness and a bounty of food that makes up the feast around which we gather. Perhaps the meal gets so large because of the wonderful foods that are available in the fall. Apples, corn, sweet potatoes and of course, pumpkins are in abundance.
Make ahead
When I went for my recipe, I realized I had not shared this easy and delicious Pumpkin Bread. Since I have a chicken in the crock pot for dinner tonight, I thought I’d be efficient by baking this bread as a side and putting the extra in the freezer for Thanksgiving. And it is a good thing that it makes plenty to enjoy now and still be have some for another time.
Pumpkin Bread freezes well
This recipe makes seven 5.5 x 3-inch loaves. That is a lot of little loaves from one baking session. I use a pan that has 4 mini loaf pans connected together and I also use individual pans to finish up the batter. When filled, I place the pans in the oven and bake them all together
I love the mini loaves for many reasons. They are a great sized to give as gifts for neighbors and friends. They are just right for snacking or breakfast when you don’t want leftovers. And, the smaller slices work so well in a bread basket offering different varieties, like dinner rolls and corn muffins.
Pumpkin bread freezes so well. After baking and cooling completely, cover in plastic wrap or cellophane treat bags and then place in freezer-safe zip bags or containers. Thaw the bread overnight at room temperature before use. You can bake a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving or a little sooner. Frozen pumpkin bread retains its quality for up to three months in the freezer.
Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
DIRECTIONS:
Stir together until smooth:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. butter, melted
pinch salt
1-2 Tbs. cream or milk to desired spreading consistency.
Pumpkin bread recipe note:
To lighten the calories and fat in the recipe, I sometimes reduce the oil to 1/2 cup and add a 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. I notice hardly any change in flavor or texture, just maybe a little sticky-er, if that makes sense.
If you like this post and don’t want to miss new content with recipes and ideas to inspire you, join our community and receive updates by clicking the subscribe button below. We’d love to have you be a part 🙂
If one makes in disposable gift pans, can one freeze in those pans?
Hi Kathy,
I see no problem freezing the pumpkin bread in foil pans. Just be sure to wrap them well to keep the air out using foil or freezer-safe bags and they will be fresh and delicious when thawed. A great way to get a head start on holiday baking.
Thanks for stopping by!
Kindly, Lorraine
They look terrific… And I bet they smell great with love Janice
I can almost feel the spicy aroma moving around the house. I'm going to make these mini loaves over the weekend. Thanks 🙂
Amalia
xo
Pumpkin bread is terrific – and I love the idea of mini loaves! So cute!
These sound delicious! I bet your thanksgiving table is a sight to behold (hope you share pictures of it!)
Oh yeah…. 🙂
I love any/all things pumpkin. My husband's grandmother used to make pumpkin bread in coffee cans and give it as CHRISTmas gifts…it was so good!
We had a "pumpkin and spice" event at our church between services on Sunday. It was lovely as was the scent of pumpkin. This bread would have fit right in!
I love pumpkin bread and I have some of those little pans.
On my to-do list!