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Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

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You’ll love the sweet and spicy scent of this Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread filling your kitchen. This quick bread recipe is one I go back to again and again. It makes two delicious pumpkin loaves. One to keep and one to share with friends.. Or one to eat now and one to freeze for later!

What makes Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread different from regular pumpkin bread? As far as I know, just the origin of the original recipe. I think you’ll find this pumpkin bread a delightful treat that’s easy to make. This recipe makes a pumpkin loaf that is tender, sweet and moist with a lovely pumpkin flavor highlighted by warm earthy spices.

One thing you’ll find different about this recipe from lots of pumpkin bread recipes is that it uses a combination of vegetable oil and applesauce. Adding applesauce to the bread allows us to get away with using less sugar in the recipe and less oil by providing both sweetness and moisture. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste the apple, this bread is 100 percent pumpkin.

Here’s a tip for baking with applesauce.

If you buy the packages of single serve cups, you won’t even have to measure it out for this recipe. Most single serve applesauce cups are ½ cup, so you can just dump it in!

Regular applesauce, unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon applesauce will all work well in pumpkin bread, so you can feel free to buy whatever your preference may be!

Supplies you’ll need:

  • A 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • Vegetable oil
  • Applesauce
  • Vanilla extract
  • Sugar
  • All purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Cloves
  • Ginger

How to make Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

First, Grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans. I like to use Baker’s Joy Spray to make this easy.

In a large mixing bowl you’ll mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and sugar.
In another bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Give it a light stir with a fork. Then add this to the pumpkin mixture.

Stir it just until it is all combined and well blended. Don’t over mix!

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.

Baker’s Tip: lightly tap the pans on the counter to help remove any air bubbles.

Bake in your preheated oven for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Freezing instructions:

This pumpkin bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze your pumpkin bread, simply allow the loaves to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap them well in aluminum foil or freezer wrap. When you’re ready to enjoy your bread, place it in the fridge and allow it to thaw gradually overnight before serving.

A loaf of Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, sliced and sitting on a baking tray.

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Yield: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread is tender, sweet and moist with a lovely pumpkin flavor highlighted by warm earthy spices.

Ingredients

  • 1, 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.  
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and sugar. 
  4. In another bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Give it a light stir with a fork.
  5. Then add this to the pumpkin mixture. Stir it just until it is all combined and well blended. Don’t over mix! 
  6. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. 
  7. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes

Freezing instructions:

This pumpkin bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze your pumpkin bread, simply allow the loaves to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap them well in aluminum foil or freezer wrap. When you’re ready to enjoy your bread, place it in the fridge and allow it to thaw gradually overnight before serving. 

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