How To Keep Your Homemade Pumpkin Bread Moist

When it's getting to be that time of year where the leaves are changing colors and falling from the trees, and the flavors change from summery citrus to apple and pumpkin everything, you know it's time to bust out your loaf pan and bake a homemade pumpkin bread (just like March means Irish soda bread). It's perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even as a dessert, but just how do you keep it moist for as long as possible?

The key is to wait until it has completely cooled from the oven, and then wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can keep it out on your counter (though in a cool spot in your kitchen) for up to four days — if it even lasts that long. Pumpkin bread, unlike regular sandwich bread or artisan bread, also keeps well in the fridge, thanks to the pumpkin purée and oil used in most recipes, which help it stay moist in the cool air. It will last up to seven days in there, provided it is wrapped up tightly before getting placed in an airtight container, like a zip-top bag or something made of glass or plastic, with a snap-on or press-down lid.

Like all loaves of carb-y deliciousness, pumpkin bread freezes and thaws beautifully, which is great if your recipe made two loaves and you have no one to off-load the second one onto. To prep it for freezing so that it retains all of its softness and moisture, again, wait until the loaf is totally done cooking on a wire baking rack. Break out your Saran wrap and aluminum foil and wrap up the loaf in first a layer of one, then a layer of another (aluminum foil on the outside).

This will help keep the freezer's ultra-cold air from penetrating and drying out the bread. Then for triple protection, place the bread in a zip-top freezer bag, pushing out as much air as possible before placing it in the freezer. It will taste best if eaten within two months.

To thaw, since it's not perishable, you can just leave it out on your counter; a few hours should do the trick, but if you want it for breakfast the next morning, take it out the night before. Make sure you leave it in its wrappings while it thaws, too, so that the bread can reconstitute the moisture from inside the plastic wrap into the loaf.