Pumpkin Loaf

Fall is here and it's time to get the oven going and the house smelling like autumn. No better way to bring in the fall than with a nice loaf of pumpkin bread wafting through the air. This recipe is adapted from my Banana Tea Bread. It's a very simple recipe and worked well here using a can of pumpkin puree instead of just the standard 1 cup. I tried using the whole can because I hate to waste or have to use up the rest of the puree. I figured if I use almost 2 cups of banana in my banana tea bread recipe, I can use 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree here and add a little extra liquid in the form of water or maple syrup. By all means if you feel this is too much and you're going to ruin a loaf, than stick with the 1 cup puree instead and omit the water/maple syrup. But you can see here that it worked, baking up beautifully without sinking in the center like you might expect. It came out moist and perfectly dense with a nice soft crumb. There is no need for butters or egg substitutes in this recipe either...just simple ingredients from your pantry that come together easily and beautifully. And believe me, it tastes just as good as it smells while baking!

The flour of choice in this recipe is spelt. It's a wonderful flour that when used in baked goods, cooks up tender and soft. I use it as my flour of choice when not baking gluten free. Use it in cookies, pancakes, breads, cakes, waffles and muffins...anywhere flour is called for.

Here is a little more info on spelt from The Spelt Bakers

'Spelt is by nature a whole-food. Unlike wheat, where vital nutritional bran and germ are usually removed during milling, the vital substances of spelt are found in the inner kernel of the grain. However this does not mean that spelt makes a heavy loaf. In fact the exact opposite is true. The real beauty of spelt is in its ability to make a really light, highly nutritious loaf with an appealing nutty flavour. The protein in spelt is such that when the flour is turned into bread it bakes well and results in a very light, soft textured loaf with good keeping qualities which doesn’t shed crumbs when sliced.'

I'll abide to all of that...this loaf came out speltiful!

Read more about the beauty of spelt here and source it in your local area, or look online. I know you will LOVE what this flour can do for your baked goods. Seriously!

Now on to the recipe...

Pumpkin Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup spelt flour, or flour of choice*
• 1/2 cup coconut, turbinado or organic pure cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 - 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup water (at room temp)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted), or vegetable oil of choice 
• 1 can (15oz) 100% pumpkin puree or 1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In a small bowl, combine oil, sugar, water/syrup and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture along with the pumpkin puree and mix well making sure there is no flour clumps. Taste batter adjusting flavor or sweetness to your liking. Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes. Once done, remove from oven, let cool slightly before serving.

Notes:
*If you must substitute the flour (I highly recommend sticking with the spelt), use unbleached all-purpose and/or fine whole wheat flour. If you try using a regular whole wheat flour, increase the water to 1/2 cups (you may have a denser loaf, but still tasty!).

For the spices, I used the pumpkin pie spice mix plus some extra cinnamon. I like all the flavors. If using the individual spices adjust the measurement up to suit your taste. Use less spice if you want to taste more of the pumpkin. Remember to always start with the smaller amount and work your way up. You cannot take away but you can always add.

Since there are no flaxeggs here, if you wish you can add two flaxeggs in place of the water + add 3 extra tablespoons water or you can simply add two tablespoons of flaxseed meal to the batter with the dry ingredients. Ground flax seeds have great nutritional benefits and can be added to boost the nutritional profile of this recipe. If you have some on hand, go for it!

Adjust the sugar up a little if you like it a bit sweeter. Because this batter is on the thicker side, you can also add in up to 1/4 cup, or replace dry sugar with, warmed or room temp pure maple syrup (see pictures below). Chilled maple syrup needs to be warmed or it will clump up the coconut oil.

Add chopped pepitas, walnuts or oats to the top for added texture and visual appeal.

This photo below is a different loaf using a different brand pumpkin puree and using maple syrup instead of water. This loaf is a bit darker in color than the ones up top, so just know that the coloring may vary according to the ingredients used. Also, I should mention that my first loaf in the above photos, after sitting covered overnight, turned the color of the loaf below that was 30 minutes from the oven. Go figure how that goes...although it could be in part my lighting too! However, all loaves were delicious with great texture.

And yet another pumpkin loaf as of 10/6/13, In place of the dry sugar I used 1/2 cup pure maple syrup + 2 tablespoons coconut sugar along with the 1/3 cup water, topped with crushed pepitas...came out moist, not too dense and not too sweet at all. Another great loaf!

Enjoy the taste of fall!

Did you try something different with a great or not so great result? Let us know...