This Is Why Your Pumpkin Bread Is Too Dry

For a couple of months every year, it seems that bakeries and the internet become flooded with pumpkin recipes. According to What's Cooking America, since the 1600s pumpkin pie has appeared in various forms at the American Thanksgiving table. However, a more recent addition to the baking frenzy is pumpkin bread. A quick Google search will bring up plenty of Starbucks copycat recipes that have been created to satisfy what appears to be a never ending search for the moistest bread.

If you're not a born baker, then you may have struggled when making bread recipes — ending up with a final product that is only palatable when dipped in tea or coffee. Drying out your batter is a common problem when making baked goods that have the intention of being melt-in-your-mouth treats. Thankfully, a few key points should keep you on the right track so that you can enjoy your next slice of pumpkin bread without a coughing fit.

Experienced bakers such as The Baking ChocolaTess have tackled the problem of dry bread, finding the main sources and some creative tricks to reverse the issue. One common problem is having an incorrect ratio of wet to dry ingredients. This can be easily adjusted by increasing the liquid or decreasing flour. If the realization comes too late, The Baking ChocolaTess suggests making a solution that is one part sugar and two parts water. Poke some holes in your bread and lightly mist the sugary solution on top with a spray bottle.

The team at Martha Stewart suggests using a high egg to sugar ratio for a light airy cake that won't weigh you down. They also mention that overmixing is a typical baking issue that will ruin the moist texture of your bread. While you might think you are doing an exceptional job mixing, there is a reason most recipes specify to mix until just combined (via Food52). 

Overmixing can affect your dough by pushing in too much air and kickstarting extra gluten production, both things that can lead to gummy, dried out batter. Our Every Day Life notes that setting your oven too high and baking your bread too long could also be the source of dryness. Tenting a piece of tin foil on top of the loaf half way through the baking time helps to avoid drying out the top while the inside cooks.

Time to test out these techniques and get baking!