Don’t skip this little-known step the next time you’re baking.

Fall is around the corner, which means it’s pumpkin spiced-everything season.

Just leave me a loaf ofpumpkin breadand I’ll be happy.

pumpkin bread

Credit: Richard Jung

Pumpkinbread is my favorite quick bread, but I only bake it in the fall.

I’ve even made a delicious pumpkin-banana bread mash-up.

you might use homemade pumpkin puree (though it’s not really worth the effort).

it’s possible for you to top pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, or a glaze.

Pumpkin bread, like most quick breads, is dense and heavy.

Most recipes call for about an hour of baking time.

But don’t make the mistake of only checking the inside of the bread.

Insert the skewer into the top half-inch of the loaf.