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Cozy Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Easy Maple Glaze

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This brown butter pumpkin bread with maple glaze is the recipe that changed my mind about an entire category of baked goods. It’s the one I make every fall without fail, the one my family requests for Thanksgiving breakfast, the one I send home with friends who need a little comfort.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (about 245g) pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling)
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (pure, not imitation)
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides. Lightly grease the exposed ends with butter or cooking spray.
  2. Brown the butter: Place ½ cup butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Melt completely, then swirl gently. It will foam and crackle. Continue swirling until foam subsides and brown specks form at the bottom, about 5-7 minutes. When it turns golden amber and smells nutty, remove from heat. Pour into a heatproof bowl (including brown bits) and let cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add cooled brown butter (warm, not hot), eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until combined and glossy.
  4. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until no lumps remain.
  5. Fold together: Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold gently until just combined—do not overmix. A few lumps are fine.
  6. Bake: Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and spread even. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Check at 50 minutes. Top should be golden brown and cracked.
  7. Cool: Let bread cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Lift out using parchment overhang and cool completely on rack.
  8. Make glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup, 1 tablespoon milk or cream, and vanilla. It should be thick but pourable. Add more milk if too thick, more powdered sugar if too thin.
  9. Glaze and set: Once bread is completely cool, drizzle glaze over top. Let set for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Don’t rush the brown butter—use medium heat and watch carefully. Room temperature eggs matter to prevent butter from seizing. Measure flour correctly by spooning and leveling. Check for doneness early; tent with foil if top browns too fast. Let bread cool completely before glazing. Bread tastes even better on day two. Freezes well unglazed for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin bread, brown butter, maple glaze, fall baking, pumpkin recipe, easy bread, breakfast bread, Thanksgiving

Find it online: https://tablemira.com/cozy-brown-butter-pumpkin-bread-with-easy-maple-glaze/