At Umdingi Safaris, tea time isn’t just a pause in the day — it’s a ritual. After a morning of game drives in Hwange National Park, guests return to camp for a well-earned cup of tea and something sweet.

One treat in particular has achieved legendary status: our pumpkin bread. Moist, warmly spiced, and the perfect companion to an afternoon cuppa, it’s so good that even the local wildlife can’t resist it. On more than one occasion, baboons have tiptoed into the kitchen and made off with an entire loaf — without so much as a thank you.

It’s a recipe perfected right here in our bush kitchen, using fresh pumpkin or butternut puree and a fragrant blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Guests say it rivals the best they’ve ever tasted anywhere — and judging by the baboons’ behaviour, they might be right.

Umdingi Safaris Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (see homemade blend below)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 cups pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree

• ½ cup white sugar

• ¾ cup dark brown sugar

• 3 eggs

• ½ cup olive oil

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice 
Mix and store in a small labelled jar (Great for 2-3 recipes) :

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) or set your bread maker for a yeast-free bake.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

3. In another bowl, combine pumpkin puree, sugars, eggs, olive oil, milk, and vanilla.

4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until just combined.

5. Pour into a greased loaf tin.

6. Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Cool before slicing — ideally before the baboons find it.

A Taste of the Bush (If the Baboons Don’t Get There First)

Whether it’s enjoyed by the fire with a steaming mug of rooibos or stolen in broad daylight by a cheeky baboon, this pumpkin bread has become a true Umdingi classic. And now you can bake it at home — baboons optional.