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This fresh-milled pumpkin bread is buttery soft and perfectly spiced-and it's made with 100% whole grain flour. It's an easy fall treat with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that no one will believe is made with whole wheat.
Baking season is finally here! I mean, technically, I bake all year long. But as soon as fall arrives, it’s everything pumpkin, spiced, and cozy.
Around my house, we love fall recipes like sourdough apple cider donuts, sourdough pumpkin cobbler, and sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls. But I also like to sneak in a little extra nutrition, and that's where this fresh-milled pumpkin bread swoops in to save the day.
You would never guess this is actually a 100% whole grain pumpkin bread.
It’s made with soft white wheat flour, which creates a tender crumb. A mix of granulated and brown sugar gives it just the right sweetness, while pumpkin and butter make every bite soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
I usually like to have a slice on a crisp morning with a cup of coffee. But it’s also great with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream for dessert.
We love this easy pumpkin bread, and I hope your family does, too. Happy fall, friends!
Ps. If you love fresh-milled sweet treats, you might also like my fresh-milled chocolate chip muffins recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fresh-Milled: Made with 100% fresh-milled whole wheat flour for a nutrient-rich, homemade pumpkin bread.
Easy: No complicated steps-just an easy pumpkin bread recipe you can whip up on a weeknight or before a fall gathering.
Delicious: This fresh-milled pumpkin bread is buttery soft with the perfect balance of pumpkin spice and sweetness.
Freezer-Friendly: Bake ahead and freeze for a quick, cozy treat all season.
Kid-Approved: My little one devours this homemade pumpkin bread, and all the while, she is getting 100% whole grain nutrition.
Ingredients
Wheat Berries: You'll need soft white wheat berries for the best texture. If you use hard wheat instead, add a little extra liquid and let the batter rest so it has time to absorb it.
Spices: I used pumpkin pie spice. You can also add a little extra cinnamon if you prefer.
Sugar: You’ll need granuated and brown sugar. I used dark brown sugar, but light brown will also work.
Butter: Use unsalted butter.
Eggs: You will need one whole egg and an extra egg yolk. The additional egg yolk creates a tender, rich texture.
Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Grain Mill: You will need a grain mill for this recipe. I use a Mockmill 200 Professional. Popular brands also include Nutrimill and KoMo.
Mixing Bowl: Grab a mixing bowl for combining the dry ingredients.
Stand Mixer: I used a stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar. I love my KitchenAid bowl-lift mixer but a hand mixer will also work.
Loaf Pan: I used a 9″x5″ stone loaf pan. For a taller loaf, use an 8″x4″ pan.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or line it with parchment paper).
Step 2: Mill the wheat berries on the finest setting. You need a total of 1 1/4 cups of milled flour.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
Step 4: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both sugars. Using a paddle attachment, beat on medium until combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 5: Add the whole egg and egg yolk. Mix on medium until combined, about 1 minute.
Step 6: Mix in pumpkin purée until smooth. It may look slightly curdled. That’s totally normal at this point.
Step 7: Fold in the dry ingredients until combined. Don’t overmix.
Step 8: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 9: When the pan is cool enough to handle, transfer the bread to a wire rack.
Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success
- You can increase the pumpkin pie spice up to 2 teaspoons if preferred. I usually use less because my family prefers it with less spice.
- The texture will firm as the bread cools. I like to let it cool for a few hours before enjoying.
- If you are new to working with freshly milled flour, check out my fresh-milled flour beginner’s guide.
- The batter should be thick, but scoopable. If you scoop it with a spatula, it will plop into the pan rather than run like pancake batter.
- Because the flour contains the bran and germ, the crumb will be heartier than a sweet bread made with all-purpose flour. But it will still be tender and soft.
- For extra flavor and warmth, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- When working with fresh-milled flour, I recommend weighing the wheat berries in grams before milling if possible. This will give you the most precise and repeatable results.
Serving Suggestions
Buttered: Serve fresh-milled pumpkin bread warm with a shmear of butter. This is my favorite way to eat it!
Cream Cheese: Toast the pumpkin bread in a hot skillet, then smother it in cream cheese. Pumpkin cream cheese is delicious on this!
Hot Drinks: Pair with fall drink such as chai, a spiced latte, apple cider, or a cup of coffee with homemade brown sugar creamer.
Storing & Freezing
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp for 2-3 days.
- For longer storage, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Freeze in slices or a whole loaf, tightly wrapped and in a ziplock bag, up to 3 months.
Variations
Chocolate Chip: Fold in dark chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips before baking.
Nutty: Add in chopped pecans or walnuts. Toasting them first adds extra flavor, but isn’t necessary.
Maple Glaze: Once the bread cools, drizzle it with a maple glaze.
Muffins: Follow the recipe, but bake the batter in a muffin tin. You may need to adjust the bake time for this.
Sourdough: Add sourdough discard in with the eggs. As long as you keep it at 50 grams or less, it won't change the recipe.
FAQs
Yes, just swap the butter for a neutral oil, such as avocado oil. In most sweet breads, butter and oil can be swapped 1:1.
Fresh-milled flour contains the entire wheat berry, meaning it is truly 100% whole grain. Store-bought flour has the brain and germ removed and is refined for shelf-stability.
Fresh-milled pumpkin bread is a heavy batter, so it may not rise as much as you are used to with store-bought flour. But if it is very flat, it could be from under-creaming the butter and sugar, too much liquid in the batter, or an oven that wasn't hot enough.
Yes, just double the recipe and bake in two loaf pans.
Definitely, just be sure to cook and strain it well so it's thick like canned purée.
Let's Connect!
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Fresh-Milled Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- Grain Mill
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 125 g soft white wheat berries, finely milled
- 3 g baking soda
- 4 g baking powder
- 3 g pumpkin pie spice
- 2 g salt
Wet Ingredients
- 113 g unsalted butter
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 213 g pumpkin purée
Instructions
- Prepare. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or line it with parchment paper).
- Make the Flour. Mill the wheat berries on the finest setting. You need a total of 1 1/4 cups of milled flour.125 g (1 1/4 cups) soft white wheat berries
- Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.3 g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda, 4 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder, 3 g (1 1/4 teaspoons) pumpkin pie spice, 2 g (1/4 teaspoon) salt
- Cream the Butter and Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both sugars. Using a paddle attachment, beat on medium until combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.113 g (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 50 g (1/4 cup (packed)) dark brown sugar
- Add the Eggs. Add the whole egg and egg yolk. Mix on medium until combined, about 1 minute.1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk
- Add the Pumpkin. Mix in pumpkin purée until smooth. It may look slightly curdled. That's totally normal at this point.213 g (1 cup) pumpkin purée
- Combine with Dry Ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients until combined. Don't overmix.
- Bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool. When the pan is cool enough to handle, transfer the bread to a wire rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can increase the pumpkin pie spice up to 2 teaspoons if preferred. I usually use less because my family prefers it with less spice.
- The texture will firm as the bread cools. I like to let it cool for a few hours before enjoying.
- If you are new to working with freshly milled flour, check out my fresh-milled flour beginner’s guide.
- The batter should be thick, but scoopable. If you scoop it with a spatula, it will plop into the pan rather than run like pancake batter.
- Because the flour contains the bran and germ, the crumb will be heartier than a sweet bread made with all-purpose flour. But it will still be tender and soft.
- For extra flavor and warmth, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- When working with fresh-milled flour, I recommend weighing the wheat berries in grams before milling if possible. This will give you the most precise and repeatable results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not reflect your final product. Please verify independently if needed.
