Browning the butter is the one step that turns ordinary pumpkin bread into something people ask about. It takes about seven minutes on the stove and gives the whole loaf a nutty, toffee-like flavor that melted butter can’t. A crunchy cinnamon streusel goes on top. The recipe makes one 9×5-inch loaf, about 12 thick slices, and takes 1 hour 20 minutes start to finish.
Brown butter is a technique Gordon Ramsay uses all the time, from sauces to cakes, and this loaf is my autumn way of putting it to work.
How to brown butter without burning it
Use a light-colored saucepan so you can see the color change. Melt the butter over medium heat. It will foam, then the foam settles and small brown specks form on the bottom. Those specks are toasted milk solids, and they’re where the flavor comes from. When it smells like hazelnuts and turns amber, pour it straight into a bowl. Left in the hot pan, it can go from amber to burnt in under a minute. Let it cool for 10 minutes before using it, or it will cook the eggs.
Ingredients
For the loaf
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 250 g plain flour
- 150 g caster sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 425 g pumpkin purée (1 x 425 g can)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 60 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 g chopped pecans (optional)
For the streusel
- 50 g plain flour
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine salt
- 40 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
Method
- Brown the butter. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving some overhang to lift the loaf out. Brown the 115 g butter as described above, pour it into a heatproof bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, both sugars, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and all the spices until no lumps of brown sugar remain.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the pumpkin, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly pour in the warm brown butter while whisking.
- Combine gently. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold with a spatula just until the flour disappears. A few small lumps are fine; overmixing makes the loaf tough. Fold in the pecans, if using, and scrape the batter into the pan.
- Add the streusel. Rub the streusel ingredients together with your fingertips into pea-sized crumbs and scatter them over the batter right to the edges.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until a skewer in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, lift it out by the parchment and let it cool completely before slicing. The crumb finishes setting as it cools.
If your loaf sank or turned gummy
- Sunk in the middle: usually underbaked, or too much bicarbonate of soda, which makes the loaf rise fast and then collapse. Measure it level and test with a skewer before taking it out.
- Gummy texture: often from fresh pumpkin, which holds more water than canned. If you use fresh, roast it, purée it, then let it drain in a sieve for 30 minutes before weighing.
Variations
- Chocolate chip: swap the pecans for 100 g dark chocolate chips.
- Maple glaze: skip the streusel and drizzle the cooled loaf with 60 g icing sugar whisked with 2 tbsp maple syrup.
- Mini loaves for gifts: divide the batter between three 1-lb mini tins and bake for 35–40 minutes.
Storing it
Wrapped tightly, the loaf keeps for 4 days at room temperature, and the flavor gets better on day two. Freeze it whole or sliced, wrapped in cling film and foil, for up to 3 months. You can also mix the batter a day ahead and refrigerate it in the pan; add 5 minutes to the bake.
Gordon Ramsay Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread Recipe
A moist spiced pumpkin loaf made with nutty browned butter and warm autumn spices, crowned with a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. Bakes in a 9x5 pan and makes 12 thick slices.
20 minutes
1 hour
1 hour 20 minutes
12 slices
Ingredients
Instructions
Chef Tips
- Watch the butter, not the clock: browned butter goes from amber to burnt in under a minute — pull it the moment it smells like hazelnuts.
- Cool the brown butter before adding it; hot butter will scramble the eggs.
- Don't overmix: stir just until the flour disappears or the loaf turns tough.
- The loaf is better on day two — bake up to 2 days ahead and wrap tightly once fully cool.
For more autumn baking, try the Halloween Chocolate Cake or the Spooky Ghost Cupcake Halloween Display, and find more on Pinterest.
