Recipe of the Month: Healthy Pumpkin Bread

This fall-inspired bread is healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast, yet still indulgent enough to feel like a treat.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water
• 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• Pinch of ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
• Optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
5. Bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
   
   

If you make this delicious bread, send us a photo and tell us about it for a chance to be featured in our next newsletter!