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.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender, moist gingerbread made with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, and just the right amount of sweetness.
Easy to make: Made with a bowl and a spoon - no mixer needed.
Pan size: 9x5 loaf
Similar to: Gingerbread Muffins
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe. If you prefer a sweeter bread, feel free to add an extra ¼ cup of brown sugar to the recipe.
- Molasses - I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses (a common brand found in grocery stores). Molasses is a must when baking gingerbread and adds a distinctive flavor. Light or dark molasses will work in this recipe. Dark molasses adds a stronger flavor.
How to make gingerbread loaf
- Stir oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Stir in warm molasses mixture until combined. Sift together dry ingredients, make a well in the center, and pour in wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into a a loaf pan and tent loosely with foil.
- Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes or until bread reaches 200F in the center. Remove foil tent halfway through baking.
- Transfer pan to a cooling rack to cool completely before removing the loaf and slicing.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland baked goods.
Tips and tricks
Use a thermometer - 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
To prevent dry bread - If your bread is dry straight from the oven, it's caused by overbaking or substituting ingredients. When baked just the right amount of time, your bread loaf will turn out soft, moist, and tender. Keep a close eye on your bread and don't rely on time alone. Some ovens can run hotter or colder than the next oven, so the time that worked for me may not work for you.
Test for doneness - Give the pan a nudge. If your loaf is jiggy in the center, it needs more time. If it's not jiggly, gently press the top. If an indent is left, it needs more time. If your bread pops back, it's done. For best results, use an instant-read thermometer. Quick bread is done when it reaches 200F in the center.
Allow bread to cool before slicing - Slicing into piping hot bread releases steam and causes it to dry out quickly. Allow your bread to cool most of the way before slicing and enjoying.
Frequently asked questions
Baked goods can turn out dry for several reasons. Here are the most common possibilities:
- Measuring too much flour by packing it into the measuring cup.
- Reducing/omitting/substituting the wet ingredients, including oil, sugar, molasses, oil, and eggs.
- Overbaking.
- Oven temperature is too high (which causes overbaking).
- Not baking on the center rack (which causes overbaking on either the top or bottom of the loaf).
Yes! Check out my gingerbread muffins recipe, which uses the same ingredients.
Yes, I've updated this recipe to call for oil instead of butter. Since gingerbread has such a strong flavor, there's no need to prepare it with butter (the main benefit of butter is the flavor it adds to baked goods). Oil helps keep your bread moist for longer than butter and makes the bread easier to prepare.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) vegetable oil
- 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 baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper (or grease and flour the bottom and sides) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, add molasses and boiling water. Stir until combined. Add to liquid mixture and stir to combine.
- In a third bowl, whisk (or sift) together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into loaf pan. Tent loaf pan loosely with foil (remove foil halfway through baking. This ensures that the top of your bread doesn't burn). Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until your bread pops right back when gently pressed on top. If an indent is left, your bread needs more time. Bread is cooked through when it reaches 200℉ in the center (an instant read thermometer is the most accurate way to tell when your bread is done).
- 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
Notes
- Storage: Gingerbread will keep for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
- Freezing: 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 completely before slicing. Slicing into hot bread allows steam and moisture to escape.
- Properly measure the flour: Properly measured flour ensures your bread doesn't turn out dense or dry. Weigh your flour with a kitchen scale. If you don't have a scale, then use the spoon and level method.
Thank you for this recipe! My entire family loved it. I substituted the molasses for apple butter which I made (it was cooked very long and and is quite dark and too strong for toast) and I will be using it in place of every time I make this recipe into the future. My daughter thought a glaze would go nicely on top, but my husband said it absolutely didn't need it so....depends on the sweet of your tooth. A gorgeous colour and so moist....lovely 🙂
Bake time was off by 15 minutes at the recommended temp. Not very gingery, too much cinnamon. I feel like I wasted a lot of ingredients.
Hi Kim, is there a possibility that your ginger is expired/old? The measurements in this recipe should add a significant amount of ginger flavor. Did you need to add 15 minutes of additional baking time, or was your bread overbaked?
I just want to thank you for the gingerbread loaf recipe! It’s fabulous- I doubled the recipe and it is perfection in texture & spices. I can’t wait to share it with my friends & family. Jennifer
So excited to try this recipe! Do you think it's possible to replace the all-purpose flour with oat flour to make the bread gluten-free?
Hi Emily, I've never worked with oat flour before so I'm not sure how it would turn out in this recipe. Per this website, 1 cup of all-purpose flour should be substituted with 1 1/3 cups of oat flour: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/make-oat-flour/
Thank you so much! I'll let you know how it goes.
The oat flour made the loaf pretty dry, but otherwise yummy.
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!!!!
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!
How long do the mini loafs need to cook?
Hi Tanya. I'm getting ready to make this recipe in mini Christmas loafs...paper approx 7"x4" . How many mini loaves did you yield with this recipe and how long did you bake them for? TIA!
Patti H
Ohio
A quick google tells me that mini loaf pans will bake in about 30 to 35 minutes, but baking time can depend on the size of your mini loaves (there are a variety of shapes and sizes available). I'd suggest testing at about 25 minutes just in case.
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. 😆
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!
Can I use mini loaf pans for this gingerbread loaf recipe
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.
Can I sub orange juice for the hot water?
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!
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.
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!!
I followed your recipe for this gingerbread loaf, it SANK in the middle and looks bad 😢what caused this?
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?
have you doubled this recipe? does it double well?
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!
It doubles no problem. I always do for handing out for Christmas.
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
I have a question. Instead of 1/2 cup of hot water, can I also substitute that with milk (or buttermilk) just in case?
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.
Where is the button for metric measurements?
You can find the button right below the list of ingredients inside the recipe card.
Awesome recipe. Great instruction. Ive made gingerbread before but this recipe was really good - crispy perfect taste. Loved it!! Will make it again!!
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!
I was wondering if I could bake them in small loaf bread pans? How long would I bake them?
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!
Any suggestions on how to make it more moist? Mine was super tasty but a little on the dry side?
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!
Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar?
Both will work in this recipe - I used light brown sugar!
I love gingerbread! This loaf is so delicious and warming. Perfect for Christmas ♥