Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling – A Festive Fall Treat

Get ready to impress with this stunning pumpkin-shaped loaf filled with a sweet and spicy cream cheese mixture. Not only does this bread look like a pumpkin, it also carries the warm and comforting flavors of the season. Made with a soft and chewy dough enriched with pumpkin puree and aromatic spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, this bread is perfect for fall gatherings, Thanksgiving, or any warm occasion. Each bite offers a delicious combination of lightly spiced bread with a creamy and sweet pumpkin-infused filling. Finished with a cinnamon-sugar butter coating and garnished with a cinnamon stick, this bread is as delicious as it is festive.

Why you’ll love this recipe: You’ll love this recipe for its spectacular appearance and irresistible flavor. The soft, buttery bread is scented with fall spices and filled with a sweet cream cheese center, creating a delicious contrast of textures and flavors. The pumpkin puree not only adds flavor, but also keeps the bread incredibly moist. The cinnamon-sugar coating provides a beautiful sweet crunch that complements the rich, spicy filling. Whether you’re baking for a fall party or simply want to bring the flavors of the season into your home, this pumpkin-shaped bread is the perfect festive treat.

Perfect opportunity: This pumpkin bread is perfect for fall celebrations, whether it’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, or just a cozy weekend at home. Its festive shape makes it a perfect centerpiece for any holiday table, while the spicy cream cheese filling and cinnamon-sugar coating make it a delicious dessert or snack to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. It’s also a fun baking project for kids or the family, as everyone will love shaping the dough into pumpkins and decorating with cinnamon stick stems.

Decorating tips: replaces the word nice with empty enhance the pumpkin look of your loaf, consider using kitchen twine to tie the dough together in sections before baking, creating the distinctive pumpkin ridges. Once baked and cooled, add a cinnamon stick to the centre of each loaf to mimic a pumpkin stem. You can also sprinkle a little icing sugar on top for a soft, snowy effect, or drizzle on a simple glaze for a little extra sweetness and shine. If you want to make it even more festive, tie a ribbon around the stem of the cinnamon stick for a charming touch.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Bread:

• 8 grams of instant dry yeast
• 1 dl (1/2 cup) milk at room temperature
• 100 grams of pumpkin puree
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 dl (1/2 cup) sugar
• 8 dl (4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 2.5 teaspoons pumpkin spice (or substitute 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 100 grams of butter at room temperature

Instructions for bread:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let sit for a few minutes until frothy.
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, egg, sugar, spices and salt. Add yeast mixture to bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Gradually add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook until a soft dough forms. Add the room temperature butter in small pieces and continue kneading until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
5. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into equal portions, depending on how many pumpkin-shaped loaves you want to make. Shape each portion into a ball.

Ingredients for the cream cheese filling:

• 150 grams of cream cheese
• 1 dl (1/2 cup) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves)

Instructions for filling:

1. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and spices until smooth and creamy.
2. Reserve the filling while you shape the bread.

Assembly:

1. Take each ball of dough and gently flatten it into a disk. Place a dollop of cream cheese filling in the center of the dough, then gather the edges around the filling, pinching them together to seal the dough and form a ball again.
2. replaces the word nice with empty create the pumpkin shape, tie a piece of kitchen twine around each ball of dough, pressing it slightly into the dough to form the ridges of the pumpkin. Be careful not to tie the twine too tightly, as the dough will expand during baking.
3. Place the shaped dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover and let them rise for another 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake the pumpkin-shaped bread for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Once the bread is baked, remove the twine and insert a cinnamon stick into the top of each loaf to create the pumpkin stem.

Ingredients for the sugar and cinnamon coating:

• 100 grams of melted butter
• 2 dl (1 cup) sugar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Instructions for coating:

1. Melt the butter in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
2. Once the bread has cooled slightly, brush each loaf with melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until completely coated.

Enjoy your warm, spicy pumpkin bread, topped with sweet cream cheese and coated with sugar and cinnamon! It’s the perfect fall treat.