Pumpkin Beer Bread Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

Why won t my pumpkin bread cook in the middle? ›

Even though your oven may say it's preheated to 350° F, tests have revealed that oven temperatures can be off by as much as 75° F in either direction! If your oven runs hot, your bread is likely to brown and bake up on the outside before the center has a chance to fully cook.

Pumpkin bread can become dense if there is not enough hydration or wet ingredients in the recipe. Another cause is overcooking the bread which can cause it to dry out. Remember, it's always easy to keep cooking if it isn't done but impossible to take cooking time back.

Why Did my pumpkin bread crack? Cracking of the surface is just a normal characteristic of quick bread. The top tends to set before the loaf is done rising. This causes cracking across the top.

Fixing Undercooked Bread

It is pretty simple to salvage an undercooked bread and create a decent loaf. Heat the oven to 350 F, return the bread to the oven, and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes. This will work even if the loaf has cooled, which is similar to par-baking bread.

Insert a kitchen thermometer an inch or two into the middle of your bread and read the internal temperature. 190°F is typically the recommended temperature, but this will vary based on your type of bread. If you use an instant-read thermometer, do this step carefully with the bread still in the oven.

You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise.

So, to know when pumpkin bread is done, look for the crack on the top of the bread, which is a tell-tale sign it's either done or close to being done. Then stick a skewer or toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven.

If your pumpkin spice bread is gummy or undercooked in the center, it's typically because it either 1) needed more time to bake in the oven or 2) the batter was too wet, which led the bread to collapse in on itself a bit (this happens if you measure ingredients by volume, rather than by weight: it's easy to ...

Why does my pumpkin bread fall apart when I cut it? ›

You will have less luck with a low-fat recipe or one that is high in sugar. Ones with a lot of mix-ins like nuts, chips, crumble etc. tend to fall apart more easily than a pumpkin bread that has less texture.

Too Much Flour

The big lesson here: too much of any ingredient can make your bread not rise—even flour. Too much flour can make your dough stiff and dry.

Here's what could happen if you use too much baking soda: Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread. Baking soda is alkaline, and an excessive amount of it can result in an unpleasant flavor. Unpleasant Texture: Too much baking soda can lead to a coarse and crumbly texture in the bread.

It's a great idea to check what temperature your domestic oven actually reaches, you might be surprised. An oven thermometer is a useful tool for example Amazon. If you have the option, turn off the fan, it will work better without and add steam (see below). If you can, aim to bake your bread at 230°C (450°F).

Once bread is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store Pumpkin Bread at room temperature for up to five days. After three days, you may want to place the Pumpkin Bread in the refrigerator to prolong its life. Pumpkin Bread can keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Cornbread, or any baked good, will fall in the middle if it is not completely baked, or if you add too much leavening, which causes it to rise more than the structure of the batter can sustain. Always use a tester inserted in the center of your cornbread to make sure it's done.

The most important thing is to test with a toothpick before pulling the bread out. Every oven is different and times can differ. If a toothpick comes out clean it means the bread is fully cooked and will not sink.