Pumpkin Apple Streusel Bread

This pumpkin apple streusel bread tastes like fall in a sweet bread. Warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg compliment the tender apples and pumpkin in every bite.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Pumpkin puree: A smooth and creamy mixture made by cooking and blending pumpkin flesh. It is often used in baking and cooking to add a natural sweetness and a mild pumpkin flavor to various dishes. It is available canned or can be prepared by cooking and pureeing fresh pumpkin.
• Brown sugar: A type of sugar that contains molasses, which gives it a brown color and a slightly caramel-like flavor. Use brown sugar to help sweeten and flavor the bread and to make the streusel topping.
• Baking powder: A leavening agent that helps the bread rise.
• All-purpose flour: The versatile flour is ideal for quick breads including this recipe because it has a moderate amount of protein.
• Spices: Use warm spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to complement the pumpkin and apple. If you're not a fan of cloves, you can use allspice instead or omit it completely.
• Granny Smith apples: A type of apple known for their bright green skin and tart, crisp flesh. They are often used in baking because their tartness complements sweet recipes.

Substitutions and variations

• Fruit: You can swap out the pumpkin for sweet potato puree and use a different type of apple. However, I would be careful about which fruits you use since some have higher moisture content than others. If the fruit is too moist, it can make the bread stodgy.
• Spices: Experiment with a chai spice blend or a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make the bread

First things first, beat together the pumpkin with the eggs, both sugars, vanilla, and oil. Use a neutral oil such as Canola oil to avoid any strong flavors that can resonate in the bread (such as with extra virgin olive oil). If you want to take it one step further, cook your own pumpkin. Simply steam until soft, discard the skin and seeds, puree until smooth, and proceed with the recipe.

Next, combine the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet until just combined. Add the chopped apples and give everything a stir.

Make sure to cut the apples into ½-inch cubes. Any smaller and they'll get lost in the bread, any bigger and they won't bake properly. I personally prefer using granny smith apples for this bread since they hold their shape very well and add a little tartness.

Step 2: Prepare streusel and bake

Next, prepare the streusel. Combine the flour with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to mix it all.

You want the streusel to become crumbly; the butter should be well coated in the sugar-cinnamon flour mixture. Top the bread with the streusel and bake!

About 90 minutes later, your kitchen will be smelling heavenly. Dust the pumpkin apple streusel bread with powdered sugar if desired. If you want to go all the way, serve with vanilla ice cream. This bread is best served warm or at room temperature.

I loved every bite of this bread. It was like having a warm apple pie with hints of pumpkin throughout. I mean, how can you resist bread like that? Great for breakfast, dessert, or just a midday snack!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can have the bread ready in the baking pan and bake later in the day.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Frequently asked questions

More fall dessert recipes

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Recipe

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Bread

1 9-inch loaf pan

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread

Servings: 10

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

• 7 ounces pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
• ¾ cup brown sugar (150 grams)
• ½ cup canola oil (125 ml)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (259 grams)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups granny smith apples, peeled and chopped into ½ inch pieces (165 grams)

Streusel

• ½ cup all-purpose flour (74 grams)
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar (75 grams)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter, cut into small chunks (56 grams)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
• In another bowl, combine dry ingredients including flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine. Add chopped apples and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Prepare the streusel. Combine flour with sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to combine ingredients. Make sure the butter is well incorporated into the flour mixture. It should look crumbly. Spread streusel on top of bread.
• Bake bread for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool slightly before slicing. Best served warm or at room temperature.

Notes

This recipe makes enough batter for a deep 9x5 loaf pan. If your loaf pan is smaller, you can use the extra batter to make muffins instead.