Name: Pumpkin Bread (Reduced Sugar)
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour; 1½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree; 1½ teaspoons ground ginger; ¾ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Sucanat (3½ ounces/99 grams); 6 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2½ ounces (71 grams) cream cheese , cut into 8 pieces; 2 large eggs; ¼ cup buttermilk; ½ cup walnuts , toasted and chopped fine

Why This Recipe Works

For the sake of simplicity, we wanted to stick with canned pumpkin puree, but knew we would need to boost its flavor and get rid of the raw, metallic taste that can plague canned pumpkin. Cooking down the puree on the stovetop gave it a rich, caramelized flavor and eliminated any off-putting taste. Reducing the puree had another benefit, too: It concentrated the sugars and made the pumpkin taste sweeter, helping to compensate for the reduced amount of sugar. We also stirred ginger, nutmeg, and cloves into the puree as it cooked, which bloomed their flavors. Our bread now had good pumpkin flavor, but was a bit dry; we had driven off a lot of moisture when reducing the puree. Adding buttermilk solved this problem; incorporating cream cheese into the mix underscored the buttermilk's tanginess. To make sure the cream cheese was distributed evenly into the batter, we melted it into the hot puree. Once the puree was cool, we were able to use the pot as the mixing bowl, keeping our recipe streamlined.

Before You Begin

You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Be sure to use unsweetened pumpkin puree here, not canned pumpkin pie mix or pie filling, which are sold already spiced and sweetened. The test kitchen's preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier than advised in the recipe.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl.

Combine pumpkin puree, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in large saucepan. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until reduced to ¾ cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Off heat, stir in Sucanat, oil, and cream cheese. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth and no pieces of cream cheese remain.

Whisk eggs and buttermilk together, then whisk into pumpkin mixture. Using rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture until just combined (some small lumps of flour are OK). Fold in walnuts.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Let bread cool in pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool for at least 1½ hours before serving.