Fresh Milled Pumpkin Bread
Prep
15 min
Bake
65 min
Total time
1 hr 20 min
Fresh milled pumpkin bread is a soft, warmly spiced whole-grain quick bread that uses pumpkin puree and freshly milled wheat for moisture and natural sweetness.
Key Takeaways
- Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Mill on the finest setting and rest the batter 10 minutes.
- Tent with foil at 35 minutes if the top browns too quickly.
- Wait at least 30 minutes before slicing or the crumb will gum.
About this recipe
Moist, spiced pumpkin bread made with 100% freshly milled wheat. Yields one 9x5 loaf (about 10 slices). Prep 15 min, bake 60–70 min, rest 15 min in pan + 30 min on rack before slicing.
Ingredients
- freshly milled hard white wheat flour260 g (about 2 cups)
- baking soda5 g (1 tsp)
- baking powder2 g (1/2 tsp)
- fine sea salt4 g (3/4 tsp)
- ground cinnamon5 g (2 tsp)
- ground ginger2 g (1 tsp)
- ground nutmeg1 g (1/2 tsp)
- ground cloves0.5 g (1/4 tsp)
- pumpkin puree (not pie filling)425 g (1 can / about 1 3/4 cups)
- brown sugar150 g (3/4 cup packed)
- granulated sugar50 g (1/4 cup)
- large eggs3
- neutral oil120 g (1/2 cup)
- vanilla extract5 g (1 tsp)
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and line with parchment.
- 2
Mill the wheat on the finest setting. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, both sugars, eggs, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
- 4
Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined — no dry streaks, but don’t overmix.
- 5
Rest the batter 10 minutes, then pour into the pan and smooth the top.
- 6
Bake 60–70 minutes, tenting with foil at 35 minutes if browning too fast. Done at 200–205°F internal.
- 7
Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then lift onto a rack. Rest 30 more minutes before slicing.
- 8
Store wrapped at room temperature 3 days, refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze sliced up to 3 months.
new to fresh-milled flour? start here — hydration, gluten development, and grain choice tips that make this recipe work.
Learn about this grain: Spelt guide — flavor, milling notes, baking tips, and four in-depth guides on hydration, storage, and common mistakes. Or browse more Spelt recipes.
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Related Content
Recommended Grains
Related Techniques
How to Increase Hydration Successfully
Raise water in 5% increments, autolyse longer, and lean on stretch and folds instead of kneading.
How to Sift Fresh Milled Flour
Pass freshly milled flour through a 50 or 60 mesh sieve. Reserve the bran for porridge or rebake it in.
Related Troubleshooting
Why is the crumb of my bread gummy?
Cut crumb feels sticky or doughy in the center.
How much water do I add to fresh milled flour?
Bakers new to fresh milled flour struggle to translate commercial-flour hydration to whole-grain dough.
Why is my fresh milled bread dense?
Loaves baked with fresh milled flour come out heavy, tight, and barely risen instead of light and airy.
Why is my crumb too tight and dense?
Bread with a uniformly tight, small-holed crumb rather than the open, airy structure you wanted.
Why is my crust too pale?
A loaf that finishes baking with a soft, blond crust instead of a deep golden or mahogany color.
Related Conversions
Store Whole Wheat to Fresh Milled Flour
Store-bought whole wheat is often months old and has lost volatile flavor compounds. Fresh milled tastes brighter and rises better with the same recipe.
All-Purpose Flour to Fresh Milled Flour
This is the general principle: all-purpose is refined endosperm, fresh milled flour is the whole kernel, so it drinks more water and ferments 10–20% faster. The swap is 1:1 by weight in every case; only the water changes. Which grain you mill decides how much. Hard white wheat is the closest analog to all-purpose and the numbers on this page follow it — for the detailed, per-bake breakdown use All-Purpose to Hard White Wheat. If you want more flavor and can accept a darker crumb, All-Purpose to Hard Red Wheat runs +7–10% instead.