The Best Type Of Pumpkin To Use For Baking

Pumpkin pie is a stalwart of holidays and gatherings, but that old standby can overshadow just how many different ways you can use pumpkin for baking. You might make some homemade pumpkin puree for pie or soup, but the sweet squash flavor can make its way into almost any type of baked good — from cookies to bread to cakes. 

Far from just a seasonal treat for the holidays, pumpkin's versatility in recipes is something that you can make use of long into the winter without ever making the same thing twice. But you don't want to pick up just any pumpkin from the store and go to work, because there are actually multiple types of pumpkin that are ideal for different uses. So we decided to reach out to an expert, Jessie-Sierra Ross — a former ballerina turned cooking and home entertaining author who wrote the book "Seasons Around the Table; Effortless Entertaining with Floral Tablescapes & Seasonal Recipes" — to ask what she thinks is the best pumpkin for baking.

Jessie-Sierra told us that for all your baking needs, "my personal favorite is the Sugar Pumpkin, or as it's sometimes called, a Sugar Pie Pumpkin." She describes sugar pumpkins as "small, round, and sweet," and explained that "this pumpkin is excellent roasted as a side dish or turned into pumpkin pie filling." Thankfully for everyone, as more people have recognized what Jessie-Sierra has, sugar pie pumpkins have become more widely available in supermarkets recently.

You may have seen sugar pumpkins in your local grocery store before but not clocked just how different they can be from the larger variety of "field pumpkin," you already know. The size if the biggest obvious difference, with sugar pumpkins being closer to a melon or smaller than the giant field pumpkin, but that smaller size also means a stronger, more concentrated and sweet flavor. Just as importantly for making baked goods, sugar pumpkin's inner flesh is finer and less stringy than your standard pumpkin, which helps produce a smoother pumpkin puree when you are preparing it for your recipes.

According to Jessie-Sierra, she likes to "use the puree in pumpkin breads, muffins, and sauces." Making pumpkin puree from sugar pumpkins is incredibly easy and will open up all those possibilities to you. All you have to do is cut them in half, seed them, and then place them open side down on a baking sheet. Bake them at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, until the flesh is soft and pulling away from the skin. Then just scoop out the flesh and run it through a food processor until it's completely smooth. That's all you need to produce an easily used puree with incredible fresh pumpkin flavor that can transform any of your favorite baked goods into cold weather comfort. Even if you just prefer the classics, it will still make the best pumpkin pie ever.