Maple Pumpkin & Brown Butter Sage Bread
Pumpkin, spices, sage and brown butter. These are my favorite flavors of the season and this quick bread is definitely going to be on rotation in the weeks and months to come. The sweetness comes from freshly roasted pumpkin and pure maple syrup, while the sage brings a bright earthy note and the brown butter adds a lovely nuttiness. Don’t be intimidated by the amount of sage the recipe calls for (1/4 cup) it’s not overpowering but adds a depth of flavor that I think is missing in a lot of sweet breads. This recipe is a fun one to have in your back pocket and a great thing to have on hand this holiday season. It’s simple to prepare if you have your winter squash pre-cooked and pureed in advance. I usually bake my pumpkins in the evening and let them cool overnight before mashing them in the morning. The prep time in this doesn’t include cooking your pumpkin so keep that in mind!
Pour a cup of coffee and extend an invitation to your neighbors to swing on by for breakfast!
Cheers!
Maple Pumpkin & Brown Butter Sage Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Serves: 1 loaf
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, (at room temperature)
- 1 cup solid packed pumpkin puree (you can sub canned pumpkin if need be)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with a little butter or oil and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chopped sage and cook, stirring often, until butter turns golden brown and brown bits begin to form a bit, about 5-8 minute. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool a bit.
- Whisk together both flours, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
- In a large bowl mix together the maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla extract. Stir in the brown butter with sage. Add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle, about 45-50 minutes.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the loaf pan then use a knife to loosen the sides and slice the loaf onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
*Wrap the bread tightly in saran wrap or tin foil and store at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Wonderful recipe! I didn’t have fresh sage so I omitted that, and went with 1/2 cup flax seed four and 1 1/2 whole wheat flour instead. Turned out amazing and I’m attempting not to eat the whole thing at once
I’m sensing this could be a lovely savory bread as well with less maple syrup and more… butter? sage? an addition of cheese? Of course my family might not like that as much (but there would be more for me!).
Hi Andrea, do you think the bread would work well converted into muffins?
Sure! The cooking time will be less though so pay attention!
I didn’t have any sage, because quarantine, but it was wonderful even without it!