Cranberry Pumpkin Bread for Samhain

There’s something comforting about baking as the evenings grow darker: a warm oven, the scent of cinnamon and cloves, and something homemade to share. This cranberry pumpkin bread brings pumpkin, autumn spices and a little orange juice together in a recipe from our Witches’ Kitchen.

Make it for a Samhain gathering, share a loaf with someone you love, or enjoy a slice during a quiet moment of seasonal reflection. This is a modern Samhain-inspired recipe, not a traditional Gaelic dish.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Yield: Two loaves
Pans: Two 9 × 5-inch loaf pans
Oven temperature: 350°F
Baking time: 60–65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 can (540 mL) pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 cup cranberries: sweetened dried, fresh, or frozen and thawed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9 × 5-inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, pumpkin purée, orange juice and vegetable oil until blended.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Fold in the cranberries.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.
6. Bake for 60–65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre of each loaf comes out clean.
7. Remove the pans from the oven and let the loaves cool in their pans for 10 minutes before removing them. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

A Note on Pumpkin and Cranberries

Use pure pumpkin purée rather than sweetened, spiced pumpkin pie filling. The sugar and spices are added separately in this recipe.

Sweetened dried cranberries add a sweeter, chewy bite; fresh or thawed frozen cranberries give a tarter result. Drain thawed berries before folding them into the batter.

Sharing at Samhain

Set a loaf on your seasonal table, bring it to a gathering, or serve slices with tea or warm cider. If remembrance is part of your observance, you might share a story about someone you miss while preparing or eating the bread.

With two loaves, there’s one to keep and one to share. Sometimes the simplest seasonal ritual is making something with care and offering a place at the table.