Fall Quick Bread Recipes
No yeast, no proofing, no waiting for dough to double. A quick bread goes from bowl to oven in about ten minutes, and the house smells like October by the time it comes out. Thirty loaves and muffins, sorted by what is already on your counter. Start with whatever is ripest.
Six to Bake First
One from every corner of the season. If you are only baking one loaf this weekend, make it one of these.
Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel and Maple Glaze
Three things stacked on one loaf: spiced pumpkin, a pecan streusel that stays crisp, and a maple glaze to finish. Add White Sparkling Sugar to the streusel and it crackles.
Apple Fritter Bread
Everything an apple fritter is, without the pot of hot oil: spiced apples rippled through the batter, brown sugar crumble on top, glaze over all of it.
High-Altitude Walnut Zucchini Bread
Tested in Colorado, so the leavening and the liquid are already sorted if your kitchen sits above five thousand feet. Whole wheat KAMUT flour swaps in one for one with a splash more milk.
Cranberry Orange Bread
Fresh cranberries, not dried, so the tart pops against the orange zest and glaze. Scatter White Sparkling Sugar over the top before it bakes for a crackly finish.
Extra Moist Chocolate Bread
Hot brewed coffee blooms the cocoa, sour cream keeps it tender, and a chocolate glaze finishes the loaf. Espresso Powder gets you there without adding liquid.
KAMUT Flour Pumpkin Bread
Built on KAMUT flour rather than adapted to it, with applesauce standing in for part of the oil. The whole wheat version works here too, loosened with a little extra milk.
Pumpkin Quick Breads
One can of puree, one bowl, and the loaf that starts everybody's fall baking.
Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel and Maple Glaze
Three things stacked on one loaf: spiced pumpkin, a pecan streusel that stays crisp, and a maple glaze to finish. Add White Sparkling Sugar to the streusel and it crackles.
Bakery-Style Pumpkin Muffins
Tall domed tops come from a hot first five minutes, not a bakery oven. Same batter bakes as a loaf if you would rather slice than grab.
Pumpkin Bread with a Cream Cheese Swirl
Cheesecake batter rippled through a one-cup-of-pumpkin loaf, so every slice gets a cool white seam. Cut it cold and the swirl holds its shape.
Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Bread
Sour cream keeps the crumb soft while a cinnamon-sugar crust does the crackling up top. Royal Cinnamon runs strong enough that you can use a little less than the recipe asks.
Maple Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Streusel
Maple goes in three times: the batter, the streusel layer running through the middle, and the glaze. Real syrup only here, because pancake syrup falls flat.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Uses the whole fifteen-ounce can, so no half tin sits sulking in the fridge. A teaspoon of Espresso Powder makes the chips taste more like chocolate.
Apple & Pear Breads
Cider, fresh fruit, and cinnamon sugar. These are the loaves that come home with you from the orchard.
Apple Fritter Bread
Everything an apple fritter is, without the pot of hot oil: spiced apples rippled through the batter, brown sugar crumble on top, glaze over all of it.
Apple Cider Donut Bread
The warm loaf gets brushed with cider and rolled in cinnamon sugar, which is exactly how the donut works. White Sparkling Sugar in that coating adds the crunch.
Apple Bread with Walnuts
Whole wheat flour and walnuts give this one real structure, and sparkling sugar on top is already written into the recipe. Whole wheat KAMUT flour makes the crumb nuttier still.
Apple Cider Bread
Here the cider gets simmered down first, so the apple concentrates instead of watering the batter. Texture lands closer to a loaf cake than a bread.
Pear Cardamom Bread
Cardamom is the spice pears have been waiting for, floral and a little citrusy where cinnamon would just be warm. Fresh pears, chopped, never pureed.
Pear Walnut Bread
Fresh pears and sour cream hold the moisture for days, and toasted walnuts stop the loaf turning to pudding. A November bake through and through.
Banana & Zucchini Harvest Breads
The two things always going soft on the counter or piling up in the garden, finally put to work.
High-Altitude Walnut Zucchini Bread
Tested in Colorado, so the leavening and the liquid are already sorted if your kitchen sits above five thousand feet. Whole wheat KAMUT flour swaps in one for one with a splash more milk.
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Everything goes in cold, straight from the fridge, so there is no standing around waiting for butter to soften. The browning on the stove does all the flavor work.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread
Both of the counter's problem children in one loaf, with chocolate chips settling the argument. A pinch of Espresso Powder pushes those chips darker.
Cranberry, Orange & Spice Breads
Sharp fruit and dark spice - the loaves that carry you from Halloween through to the holiday table.
Cranberry Orange Bread
Fresh cranberries, not dried, so the tart pops against the orange zest and glaze. Scatter White Sparkling Sugar over the top before it bakes for a crackly finish.
Gingerbread Loaf
One bowl, one whisk, and enough molasses to turn the crumb dark and sticky. Gingerbread you can slice on a Tuesday instead of building on a Sunday.
Molasses Chai Spiced Bread
Chai spice and molasses land somewhere between gingerbread and a spiced tea cake. This is the loaf to bake when you want the kitchen to smell like something.
Chocolate & Coffee Loaves
Cocoa in the batter, coffee standing behind it. A quick bread that eats like cake and still takes ten minutes to mix.
Extra Moist Chocolate Bread
Hot brewed coffee blooms the cocoa, sour cream keeps it tender, and a chocolate glaze finishes the loaf. Espresso Powder gets you there without adding liquid.
Black Cocoa Banana Bread
The one quick bread built around black cocoa, and it earns the name: a near-black crumb and smooth, low-acid chocolate with little to no food coloring involved.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Espresso powder is written right into the recipe, half a teaspoon of it, which is why the cocoa reads deeper than the ingredient list suggests. The zucchini disappears.
Pumpkin and Chocolate Bread
Striped rather than swirled, spiced pumpkin batter layered against chocolate so each slice shows both. Bloom the cocoa in hot water as written, and Black Cocoa takes the dark stripe darker.
Double Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Cocoa in the batter, chips all the way through, and a coarse sugar top that bakes into crunch. White Sparkling Sugar is the same idea with bigger crystals.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins with Coffee Glaze
Instant espresso in the batter, coffee glaze after the bake, so the coffee lands twice. Our Espresso Powder dissolves clean into either one. Bittersweet chunks melt where chips would not.
Swap in the ancient wheat
Whole wheat KAMUT flour takes the place of the whole wheat in any of these loaves, one for one, and brings a nutty, buttery taste that ordinary whole wheat never does. Certified organic, an ancient grain that was never hybridized. Swapping it for half the all-purpose is the easy way in.
Whole-Grain & Nutty Fall Loaves
Ancient grains, nuts, and a crumb with something to say. These are the loaves that hold up to butter.
KAMUT Flour Pumpkin Bread
Built on KAMUT flour rather than adapted to it, with applesauce standing in for part of the oil. The whole wheat version works here too, loosened with a little extra milk.
KAMUT Banana Bread
Honey instead of sugar, two cups of KAMUT flour, and under ten minutes of mixing. The nutty, buttery taste of the grain is the whole point of this loaf.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze
Two and a half cups of whole wheat, walnuts folded through, and a maple glaze that keeps the loaf from tasting worthy. Whole wheat KAMUT flour drops in one for one.
Einkorn Banana Bread
One hundred percent whole grain einkorn, sweetened with maple, and the newest recipe on this page. KAMUT flour is the other ancient wheat worth trying in it.
Spelt Banana Bread
Spelt gives a softer whole-grain crumb than whole wheat does, so nobody at the table has to be told it is good for them. Walnuts or pecans, your call.
Maple Pecan Bread
Maple syrup does the sweetening, toasted pecans do the crunch, and nothing in the method is fussy. Finish the top with White Sparkling Sugar and it looks bakery-bought.
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With an impressive nutritional profile and a nutty, buttery taste, KAMUT flour is perfect for any whole-wheat baking. Ancient wheat is hard to beat.
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We've Got Answers
Why does my quick bread sink in the middle?
Usually too much leavening, or the oven door opened early. Check that the baking powder is still fresh, level the flour instead of scooping it, and leave the door shut until the last five minutes. A wet batter does it too, so blot shredded zucchini and drain pumpkin puree that looks loose.
Can I swap whole wheat KAMUT flour into these recipes?
Yes, one for one. KAMUT is an ancient wheat with a nutty, buttery taste, and it drinks a little more liquid than all-purpose, so add a tablespoon or two of milk and let the batter sit five minutes before it goes in the pan. If you want a lighter crumb, start by swapping half the flour.
How do I get the crunchy bakery top?
Coarse sugar, scattered on right before the pan goes in the oven. White Sparkling Sugar is built for this - the crystals are large enough to hold their shape through the bake instead of melting into the crust. A cinnamon-sugar crust does the same job with a softer crunch.
Can I bake a loaf recipe as muffins?
Almost always. Fill the cups two-thirds full and start checking at eighteen minutes instead of the fifty-five a loaf wants; one standard loaf gives about twelve muffins. Going the other way, a muffin recipe baked as a loaf needs the full hour and a foil tent if the top browns early.
What is the best way to freeze quick breads?
Cool completely, wrap tight in plastic, then foil or a freezer bag. Whole loaves keep about three months and slices thaw on the counter in twenty minutes. Glaze and streusel go on after thawing rather than before, because both turn to syrup in the freezer.
Why did my quick bread turn out dense and tough?
Overmixing. Once the flour is wet, gluten starts building, and a quick bread has no rise time to relax it again. Stir until the last streak of flour disappears and then stop, lumps and all. Cold eggs can also keep the batter from coming together, so bring them to room temperature first.
More Baking Adventures
The Best Quick Bread Recipes
The whole category, all year round - banana, lemon, cornbread, savory, and whole-grain.
Cozy Fall Breakfast Bakes
Scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and coffee cakes for the slow mornings.
Best Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
Everything else a can of puree can do - bars, cheesecakes, cookies, and pie.
Best Apple Dessert Recipes for Fall
Crisps, pies, cakes, and the rest of what comes home from the orchard.
Fall Cookie Recipes
Soft pumpkin, maple and brown butter, warm spice, and decorated cutouts.
Ancient Grains
What is KAMUT Flour?
The ancient wheat behind the swap, and how it behaves in a quick bread.