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Pumpkin Bread With Brown Butter Maple Icing

Pumpkin bread with brown butter maple icing—tender pumpkin loaf baked until a toothpick comes out clean, then glazed with glossy amber-brown icing. Warm spices and brown butter give a deep, nutty flavor that clings to every slice.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the bread
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 15 oz pumpkin puree
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar packed
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For brown butter maple icing
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp milk enough for thick drizzling consistency

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin bread
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Whisk pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined, then pour batter into the loaf pan.
  5. Bake for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Cool the loaf completely before icing.
Make and drizzle the brown butter maple icing
  1. Brown the unsalted butter in a saucepan until golden and nutty-smelling, then cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Whisk the browned butter with powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and enough milk to reach a thick drizzling consistency.
  3. Drizzle the icing generously over the cooled loaf, letting it run down the sides.

Notes

Pro tip: brown butter can go from golden to burnt quickly, so pull it as soon as it smells nutty and looks amber-gold. Store bread covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days; freeze sliced portions up to 2 months. Dietary swap: replace vegetable oil 1:1 with neutral oil (or melted coconut oil) for a similar crumb; for lower sugar, reduce granulated and brown sugar by about 1/4 cup total and note it may be slightly less sweet.