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This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is not your average loaf pumpkin bread! Made with yeasted dough, this recipe makes breakfast bread with a pillowy soft interior, chewy crust, and warm spices.
There is no shortage of chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipes on the internet. Orange-hued loaves of quick bread are practically a tradition in the Fall, when all things pumpkin are the rage. But there is something so delicious about breaking with tradition. And that’s exactly what we are going to do here, by making a gorgeous loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread with yeasted dough.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Fluffy bread with melty chocolate. When you add yeast to the mix, you get a completely different bread experience. The exterior of the bread is slightly chewy, while the inside is light, fluffy and studded with chocolate chips.
- Decadent. Eating this bread is especially decadent when it’s warm from the oven and the chocolate is all melty. There is a particular delight that comes with licking chocolate off your fingers in between bites of tender bread.
While you need a little bit of patience when working with yeast, that old adage is true – good things come to those who wait. Making yeasted bread isn’t hard, but you do need to account for the time it takes, so it’s not something you can whip up on the fly. I can’t think of any better way to spend a chilly weekend than making a loaf of this bread. Here’s a quick look at a loaf I made yesterday:
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need along with my notes. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list.
- All purpose flour
- Pumpkin puree – If you use canned pumpkin, you’ll have about a cup leftover. Use it to make Pumpkin Spice Lattes!
- Active dry yeast – Don’t use instant yeast. It’s not the same.
- Light brown sugar – Dark brown sugar also works.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
- Kosher Salt
- Milk – You’ll need this to be warm and ready to go.
- Melted butter – Warm, not hot (or it will kill the yeast).
- Eggs – Preferably at room temperature.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Olive oil
How to Make Pumpkin Bread With Chocolate Chips
Here is a quick look at how to make this bread recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for more details.
- Proof the yeast. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Make the dough. Add the pumpkin puree, spices, light brown sugar, salt, egg, and melted butter to the yeast mixture and mix until combined. Add the flour a half cup at a time, mixing between each addition. After you have added 2 cups of flour, fold in the chocolate chips, then add the rest of the flour.
- Knead the dough. When the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl knead the dough until it is soft and springs back when you press it gently with your thumb.
- Let the dough rise. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk. This will take 1½ to 2 hours.
- Prepare your pan. Spray a spring-form cake pan with non-stick spray.
- Divide the dough and roll into ropes. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a rope. Lay the ropes side-by-side.
- Braid. Braid the bread. You can see a video of how to do this in my challah bread post.
- Twist. When you finish braiding, crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them underneath. Twist the braid around itself like a pinwheel and place it in the prepared springform pan.
- Second rise. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise again until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Heat the oven. After about 30 minutes, start preheating your oven to 350ºF.
- Bake. Brush the dough with the glaze, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the exterior is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 more minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Add some honey butter, maple butter, or apple butter to a slice. Pumpkin butter is also, fantastic. On the side, we love this bread with a Cinnamon Dolce Latte or a Honey Vanilla Latte.
How to Store
- Counter: Once the bread is completely cool, wrap it in plastic and store at room temperature.
- Freezer: Wrap it tightly with at least two layers of plastic wrap to protect against freezer burn and freeze it for up to 2 months. You can thaw it at room temperature overnight before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
With a pillowy soft interior, chewy crust, and warm spices, this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is the perfect fall loaf!
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, warm
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, heaping
- 4 to 4½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, divided use
- ¼ cup melted butter, warm not hot
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided use
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Proof the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the warm milk, the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Make the dough. Add the pumpkin puree, spices, light brown sugar, salt, egg, and melted butter. Mix until combined. Add the flour ½ cup at a time, mixing well between additions. After you have added 2 cups of flour, fold in the chocolate chips, then add flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead. Switch to your dough hook (or a wooden spoon if making bread by hand). If using a stand mixer, knead the dough for 2 minutes, adding extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed – just enough to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl. If making the bread by hand, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3- 4 minutes, sprinkling with flour as needed to prevent sticking. *Note: Although I generally use my stand mixer to knead my dough, I always turn it out onto a floured surface and finish the kneading by hand. It’s the best way to know when the dough has been kneaded enough. The dough is done when it’s smooth and bounces back when you press your thumb into it.
- First rise. Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1½ to 2 hours.
Assemble the Bread
- Prep your pan. Spray a spring-form cake pan with baking spray (such as Pam).
- Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 15 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Be gentle with the dough or you’ll tear it, which wouldn’t affect the final flavor but would influence the way the finished loaf looks.
- Braid. Lay the ropes side-by-side, not quite touching. Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center – left over, right over, left over – until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly – you don’t want any gaps.
- Twist into a circle. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under. Twist the braid around itself, pinwheel fashion, gently pressing the outside end against the larger body of dough. Transfer to your prepared pan.
Do the Second Rise and Bake
- Rise. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Heat the oven. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Glaze the bread. Whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Gently brush the dough with it. Be sure to get any spots that don’t have egg wash on them.
- Bake. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until browned and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it with your fingers. (Check at the 30 minute mark.)
- Cool. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Let it rest 10 more minutes before slicing.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1791IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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