• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Toasty Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Bread

    Homemade Gingerbread Loaf

    Published: Nov 27, 2018 · Modified: Oct 1, 2021 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 1194 words. · About 6 minutes to read this article.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Homemade Gingerbead Loaf by The Toasty Kitchen
    Homemade Gingerbead Loaf by The Toasty Kitchen
    Homemade Gingerbead Loaf by The Toasty Kitchen

    Homemade Gingerbread Loaf is soft, moist, and perfectly spiced with your favorite holiday flavors. Pair with your morning coffee, enjoy as dessert, or give as a gift.

    Loaf of bread sliced on a white serving plate.

    It's that time of year again. Pull out the cinnamon, find the cloves, and buy a fresh jar of molasses. That's right - it's gingerbread season.

    You'll love this homemade gingerbread loaf because it's quick and super easy to make. Plus, it gets you in the holiday spirit pronto. Who can resist the warm and cozy scent of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and molasses?

    Gingerbread makes the perfect snack, morning breakfast, or dessert for fall and winter. Make a gingerbread loaf on Thanksgiving morning, Christmas eve, or for holiday movie night at home.

    Prefer muffins? Try my gingerbread muffins recipe! They make a quick and easy seasonal snack.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    Ingredients on a counter top.

    Since this is a baking recipe, I do not have many substitutions to offer. Baking is an exact science, and each ingredient serves its purpose in the recipe. I do not recommend making any substitutions that I haven't mentioned in this section!

    • Unsalted butter - Make sure your butter is room temperature so that it easily incorporates with the rest of your ingredients. Unsalted butter and salt can be substituted with salted butter.
    • Brown sugar - light or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe. I used light brown sugar because it's always on hand in my pantry.
    • Large eggs - Allow them to come to room temperature before adding to your batter. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, fill a bowl with hot tap water, add your eggs, and allow to set for 10 minutes. Remove your eggs from the water and dry off before cracking.
    • Molasses - I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses (a common brand found in grocery stores). Molasses is a must when baking gingerbread, and gives it a distinctive flavor. Light or dark molasses will work in this recipe - dark molasses gives your gingerbread a stronger flavor.
    • All-purpose flour - I do not recommend substituting your flour with any other types of flour you may have on hand. AP flour has the perfect amount of structure needed for a quick bread recipe.
    • Baking soda - not baking powder. They react differently in recipes and you'll need baking soda for this particular recipe.
    • Spices/Extracts - you'll need vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. All of these ingredients work together to give your bread a well rounded flavor.

    Properly measured flour

    One key to successful baking is properly measuring your ingredients, including your flour. I recommend weighing your flour, or using the spoon and level method.

    Spoon flour into your measuring cup, then level the top off with a knife. When scooping flour directly from the container with your measuring cup, you're compacting the flour into the measuring cup. This adds up to 25% extra flour to your recipe.

    Adding extra flour to your bread can make it dry, so be sure to spoon and level your flour for this recipe!

    A serving plate of gingerbread with a red checked towel.

    Give as a gift

    Quick bread recipes make a fantastic homemade gift. Buy a pretty loaf pan, bake a loaf of gingerbread inside, then gift away!

    These Emile Henry Ruffled Loaf Pans are pretty and high quality loaf pans. The white ruffled loaf pan would look beautiful with some fresh gingerbread baked inside.

    Slices of gingerbread topped with powdered sugar.

    How to prevent dry bread

    If your bread is dry straight from the oven, this is caused by over-baking. When baked just the right amount of time, your bread loaf will turn out soft, moist, and tender. Here are a few tips to help prevent dry bread:

    • Ovens can run hot or cold. If your oven runs hot, your baked goods may be done a few minutes before what is written in the recipe.
    • Use a thermometer inside your oven to make sure your oven is set to the proper temperature for any given recipe. Here's what I use: Rubbermaid Instant Read Oven Thermometer
    • If your oven runs hot, try testing your bread 10 minutes earlier than suggested in the recipe card. Stick a toothpick in the center of your loaf. If the toothpick comes out dry, or with crumbs, your bread is done. If your toothpick comes out with wet batter, give your bread another 5 minutes and check again.
    • Dry bread can also be caused by slicing while still hot. Slicing into piping hot bread will release extra steam from your bread loaf and cause it to dry out quickly. Allow it to cool most of the way before slicing and enjoying.
    • Homemade bread will stay moist for about 3 days before it needs to be eaten, frozen, or discarded.

    📖 Recipe

    A serving plate of gingerbread with a red checked towel.
    Print Recipe
    4.66 from 126 reviews

    Homemade Gingerbread Loaf

    Homemade Gingerbread Loaf is soft, moist, and perfectly spiced with your favorite holiday flavors. Pair with your morning coffee, enjoy as dessert, or give as a gift.
    Prep Time15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time50 minutes minutes
    Total Time1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 slices
    Calories: 283kcal
    Author: Heather

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    • ½ cup (106 g) brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ cup (170 g) molasses
    • ½ cup (113 g) hot water
    • 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground ginger
    • 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper (or grease and flour the bottom and sides) and set aside. 
    • In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. With a hand mixer (or stand mixer) on medium speed, mix until fully combined. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until creamed and fluffy, about a minute. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
    • In a separate small bowl, add molasses and hot water. Stir until combined.
    • In a third bowl, whisk (or sift) together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
    • To your butter mixture, add half of your dry ingredients, stirring until mostly incorporated. Then, add half of your molasses mixture, stirring until incorporated. Repeat once more, adding your remaining dry ingredients and molasses mixture. Stir until just combined (make sure not to over-mix, this can cause your bread to turn out dry/dense).
    • Pour batter into loaf pan. Cover loaf pan loosely with foil (remove foil halfway through baking. This ensures that the top of your bread doesn't burn.) Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with crumbs).
    • Transfer loaf pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.
    • Optionally, dust with confectioner's sugar or serve with a dollop of whipped cream. 

    Equipment Recommendations

    • 9x5 Loaf Pan
    • Kitchenaid Hand Mixer
    • Dry Measuring Cups
    • Pyrex Liquid Measuring Cups

    Notes

    • Gingerbread will keep for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
    • Gingerbread freezes well and can be kept in the freezer for 3 months. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag for optimal results.
    • To prevent dry bread: If your oven runs hot, begin checking your bread for doneness a few minutes early. Once your bread is done baking, allow it to cool before slicing. Slicing into hot bread allows steam and moisture to escape. 
    • Properly measured flour ensures your bread doesn't turn out dense or dry. Use the spoon and level method, or use the listed gram measurements with a kitchen scale. 

    Nutrition Estimate

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2.3mg
    Course: Bread, Dessert
    Cuisine: American

    More recipes

    • Gingerbread muffins on a red plate.
      Gingerbread Muffins
    • White plate filled with molasses cookies.
      Soft Molasses Cookies
    • Spiced apple crumble muffins recipe.
      Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins
    • Cinnamon walnut muffins recipe.
      Cinnamon Walnut Muffins

    More Bread Recipes

    • 21 Zucchini Baking Recipes
    • Grilled garlic bread sliced into pieces for serving.
      Grilled Garlic Bread
    • Three blueberry biscuits stacked on a counter top.
      Blueberry Biscuits
    • Banana mini muffins on a small white plate.
      Banana Mini Muffins

    Share this post:

    Subscribe

    Get our newest recipes delivered to your inbox for free!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Wynama

      December 22, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      I made this last week and is delicious! When I beat the brown sugar and butter it never got very fluffy and it separated. I will make this again, as I love gingerbread, but it had a different texture and fell apart in my hands. Any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Heather

        December 22, 2022 at 12:27 pm

        Hi Wynama, if the brown sugar and separated when creamed, it sounds like maybe the butter was too warm - did the mixture look greasy? Creaming the butter and sugar together helps add structure and proper rise to the bread when baked in the oven, so maybe that is the cause of the bread falling apart. The video within the recipe card is a good visual of how the batter should look at each step of mixing, as well as the texture of the baked bread. Were any ingredients substituted?

        Reply
        • Wynama

          December 22, 2022 at 10:15 pm

          Yes, it did look greasy. I’ll try again and make sure the butter isn’t too warm. The flavor was amazing though. No, I didn’t make any substitutions. Thank you!!!!

          Reply
    2. Tanya

      December 11, 2022 at 1:27 pm

      I doubled the recipe and used in a Mini loaf pan. I like my bread spicy so I also added additional teaspoon of ginger and cinnamon to the double batch. This quick bread has all the smells and flavors of Christmas. So yummy!

      Reply
    3. Jamie

      December 09, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      I did everything wrong on this recipe and people still raved about it, so 5 stars! The batter broke for some reason (I'm sure this is my fault and not the fault of the recipe), but I continued on anyway because I needed the mini loaves for my work Christmas party the next day (and I didn't want to waste the butter and eggs I'd mixed in). I didn't notice that I was supposed to put foil on the pan until 1/2 way through the baking, so I put it on during the middle (loose tents) and then removed it again for a few minutes at the end. I did a double-batch of mini loaves. I didn't get any myself, but I've had 3-4 people email me to tell me how good the bread was, so I'm calling it a win. Thanks for a very forgiving recipe! I'm going to make it again for me, but do it right this time. 😆

      Reply
    4. Miss Maddie

      December 06, 2022 at 10:23 pm

      Made this today. Accidentally placed the foil on too snug (Made tiny loaves to send in Christmas packages for family and friends. Tripled the batch. .) and it messed up the tops. Warped looking. Lol..Added dark chocolate chips to last pan of 8 tiny loaves and reduced temperature. They came out much better. I enjoyed the house smelling of gingerbread and all the spices.

      Thank you for posting the recipe. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

      Reply
    5. Dennis

      November 24, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      Can I use mini loaf pans for this gingerbread loaf recipe

      Reply
      • Heather

        November 24, 2022 at 2:51 pm

        Hi Dennis, yes this recipe will work in mini loaves. One regular loaf should fit into three mini loaf (3x5.5 inch) pans. Bake time would be reduced to about 30-36 minutes, or until cooked through in the center.

        Reply
    6. Polly

      October 31, 2022 at 12:49 pm

      Can I sub orange juice for the hot water?

      Reply
      • Heather

        October 31, 2022 at 1:51 pm

        I haven't tested this recipe with orange juice, so I can't say for sure. Orange juice is acidic and could affect the rise of your bread. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!

        Reply
    7. Lindsey Taylor

      May 10, 2022 at 11:50 am

      Easy and delicious. I live at over 5000 feet in the mountains in Mexico and when I took the foil off at 25 minutes the bread was nearly ready. I doubled the recipe and both loaves were the same. My gas oven is new and I have tested the temperature settings. Usually things take longer to cook at the higher altitude but I am not complaining. Definitely a keeper.

      Reply
    8. BONNIE ABRAHAMS

      January 01, 2022 at 4:58 pm

      This recipe was so very easy to follow.
      The results were delicious, I followed your recipe exactly & it came out perfect!
      Will definitely make this again!!

      Reply
    9. Angela

      December 29, 2021 at 5:34 pm

      I followed your recipe for this gingerbread loaf, it SANK in the middle and looks bad 😢what caused this?

      Reply
      • Heather

        December 29, 2021 at 8:37 pm

        Hi Angela, it's hard to say without being in the kitchen with you as to what happened. Quick bread sinking can be caused by a few things: underbaking, too much liquid added to the recipe, or expired leavening agents. Did you substitute any ingredients?

        Reply
    10. Christine

      December 17, 2021 at 10:26 am

      have you doubled this recipe? does it double well?

      Reply
      • Heather

        December 17, 2021 at 10:29 am

        I have not tried doubling this recipe, so I can't say for sure. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!

        Reply
      • Kristal

        December 21, 2021 at 2:48 pm

        It doubles no problem. I always do for handing out for Christmas.

        Reply
    11. TravelBeth

      November 28, 2021 at 2:21 am

      I am going to make this recipe on the weekend; however I am going to take non sugared ginger, cut it up like Christmas cake peel, use some of the flour and incorporate that into the recipe.

      I'll report back

      Reply
    12. Dante

      November 12, 2021 at 8:07 pm

      I have a question. Instead of 1/2 cup of hot water, can I also substitute that with milk (or buttermilk) just in case?

      Reply
      • Heather

        November 12, 2021 at 9:03 pm

        Hi Dante, I haven't tested the recipe with either, but I think that milk would work. Buttermilk would change the acidity of the ingredients, so I don't suggest it as a substitution.

        Reply
    13. Megg

      October 08, 2021 at 10:23 am

      Where is the button for metric measurements?

      Reply
      • Heather

        October 08, 2021 at 10:43 am

        You can find the button right below the list of ingredients inside the recipe card.

        Reply
    14. Toby

      October 06, 2021 at 12:54 am

      Awesome recipe. Great instruction. Ive made gingerbread before but this recipe was really good - crispy perfect taste. Loved it!! Will make it again!!

      Reply
    15. Kenneth R. Weeks

      January 09, 2021 at 9:06 am

      Can vegetable oil be substituted for the butter? If so, what changes in the amount of salt would this substitution require?

      Reply
      • Heather

        January 09, 2021 at 9:15 am

        Hi Kenneth, butter can be substituted with oil at 3/4 the amount called for. For this recipe, 1/2 cup of butter (or 8 tablespoons) can be substituted with 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Since this recipe calls for unsalted butter, no changes would be needed for the salt. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    16. Kelly

      December 21, 2019 at 7:54 am

      I was wondering if I could bake them in small loaf bread pans? How long would I bake them?

      Reply
      • Heather

        December 21, 2019 at 9:37 am

        Hi Kelly, I haven't tried this recipe in mini loaf pans myself. But it looks like mini loaves will generally bake in about 30+ minutes. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!

        Reply
    17. Arleen

      October 25, 2019 at 3:56 pm

      Any suggestions on how to make it more moist? Mine was super tasty but a little on the dry side?

      Reply
      • Heather

        October 25, 2019 at 4:13 pm

        Hi Arleen! I'm sorry to hear your quick bread was a little dry. It could have been slightly over baked, as oven temperatures may vary. I'd suggest checking your bread starting at 40-45 minutes to see if it's done, instead of 50 minutes.

        To enjoy the rest of the bread, I'd suggest reheating in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel. Try reheating in 10 second increments until warm. This should steam the bread to add moisture. Serving with butter also helps!

        Reply
        • Joshua L

          September 07, 2021 at 8:45 pm

          Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar?

          Reply
          • Heather

            September 07, 2021 at 9:13 pm

            Both will work in this recipe - I used light brown sugar!

            Reply
    18. Natalie

      November 29, 2018 at 1:14 am

      I love gingerbread! This loaf is so delicious and warming. Perfect for Christmas ♥

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Heather of The Toasty Kitchen

    Hi, I'm Heather of The Toasty Kitchen. I love cooking with real, unfussy ingredients, and I want to help you make homemade meals with ease.

    More about me →

    Summer recipes

    • Grilled asparagus topped with melted parmesan cheese on a white serving plate.
      Grilled Asparagus in Foil
    • A serving bowl filled with southern coleslaw.
      Southern Coleslaw
    • A saute pan filled with lemon garlic pasta topped with parmesan cheese.
      Lemon Garlic Pasta
    • Two grilled chicken tacos in corn tortillas on a white plate.
      Grilled Chicken Tacos (Tacos de Pollo Asado)

    Reader Favorites

    • A spoon scooping raspberry sauce from a white bowl.
      Raspberry Sauce For Cheesecake
    • Cooked steak tips in a cast iron pan.
      Garlic Butter & Herb Sirloin Tips
    • Red spatula covered in white frosting.
      Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
    • Graham crackers dipped in a bowl of strawberry cheesecake dip.
      Strawberry Cheesecake Dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As seen in

    logos of publications The Toasty Kitchen has been published in.

    Copyright © 2023 The Toasty Kitchen®