It’s August 22nd, 80° in Seattle, and I pulled out the pumpkin today.  Personally, I feel like I have shown tremendous restraint.  I’ve wanted to start baking fall/pumpkin spiced things for at least a month now.  I can’t wait any longer. Somebody try and stop me.

Consequences for early fall baking are as follows: House smells amazing and I probably gained 3 lbs today eating glaze alone.

It’s really not that bad, you guys.  It may be 80°, but it’s only like 8 days till the Pumpkin Spice latte comes out, and then all bets are off anyway.

These loaves are so moist and perfect.  They are perfectly spiced, and the use of butter instead of oil and brown sugar instead of granulated white sugar gives it a richness and great depth of flavor.  It is lightly spiced, sweet, pumpkin perfection.

Now lets talk about the glaze.  Don’t let the brown butter part deter you.  It takes 5 minutes and almost no effort to brown a little butter.  It gives the loaf a perfect nuttiness and the maple goes so nicely with the brown butter and the pumpkin.

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (I use Libby’s)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 & ½ cups all-purpose flourFor the Glaze:
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (I use Mrs. Butterworths because Mrs. Butterworths is my jam.  I assume you are supposed to use the real stuff. )
• 2-3 Tbsp milk to thin out the glaze a bit

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° Grease two 9″ loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.  I like to line mine with a parchment paper sling for easy removal. (*note – you can fit all the batter in one 9 inch loaf pan if you prefer.  I prefer smaller (thinner) loaves, as I feel that they bake more evenly. Just add to your baking time of course.)
2. Beat together your butter and brown sugar until creamed.  Add the pumpkin.  With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time.  Combine the remaining bread ingredients and add to mixture.  Stir until just combined.
3. Pour half the bread mixture into each of the prepared pans. Bake for approx. 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean or with a couple moist crumbs.
4. Cool for about 15 minutes, then very gently remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. While bread cools, make your glaze: in a small saucepan, heat butter over low heat until melted. Continue cooking, watching butter carefully, until it sizzles and begins to turn golden in color, 5 minutes. Be careful, it burns quickly! When butter looks caramel-colored, it’s done. Remove butter from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and maple syrup, then add the milk slowly until a soft glaze has formed.
6. Pour the glaze generously over top of the pumpkin loaf and let it set, about 30 minutes. Cut into slices and serve!