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Cozy Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Easy Cinnamon Streusel

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This isn’t just another pumpkin bread recipe. It’s the one I’ve tested and tweaked until it was absolutely perfect, and here’s why it’s going to become your new fall favorite. The brown butter adds a nutty, caramelized depth that plain butter just can’t match.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter (for browning)
  • 1 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best, but pre-ground works)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240g) pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature (or make your own by adding 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1/2 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes)
  • 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar (for streusel)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (for streusel)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick / 57g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Brown the Butter: Place the 1/2 cup of unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally as it melts. The butter will foam and sizzle. Keep a close eye on it. After a few minutes, the foam will subside, and you’ll see tiny brown specks forming at the bottom of the pan. It will smell nutty and amazing. This takes about 5-7 minutes. As soon as it turns a golden-amber color, remove it from the heat and pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process….
  2. Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides. This will help you lift the bread out easily later.
  3. Make the Streusel: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the cold, cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse, crumbly sand. Some larger pea-sized clumps are great! Pop it in the fridge while you make the batter.
  4. Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 3/4 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
  5. Mix Wet Ingredients: In another large bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. It will look a bit grainy, and that’s fine. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract. Add the pumpkin puree and buttermilk, and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.
  6. Combine Wet & Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together. Mix only until you see the last streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix! Overmixing will make your bread tough. A few small lumps are perfectly okay.
  7. Assemble the Bread: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the cold cinnamon streusel evenly over the top, gently pressing it into the batter just a little so it sticks.
  8. Bake: Place the pan on the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. If the top is browning too quickly (after about 40 minutes), tent the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
  9. Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper sling, lift the bread out of the pan and transfer it to the cooling rack to cool completely. This is the hardest part—waiting!—but it’s essential so the bread sets properly.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients are key for a tender crumb. Don’t overmix the batter. Measure flour correctly using the spoon-and-level method. Check for doneness at the 50-minute mark. Cool completely before slicing to avoid a gummy texture. The flavors deepen on the second day.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin bread, brown butter, cinnamon streusel, fall baking, quick bread, pumpkin recipe, autumn dessert

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