It’s officially fall y’all and even though it’s 100 degrees in LA, it’s pumpkin season and I am here for it. Fall has always been my favorite season, I’m a November baby and fall just reminds me of the all the things I loved from childhood. The holidays, time off from school, playing in huge bushels of leaves in my front yard and it being cold but not so cold you were freezing.
Pumpkin bread becomes the new banana bread and your home is filled with the smells of warm coziness as the temperatures drop. I’ve healthified this version here with some extra nutrition so you can feel good about serving it to your kiddos for breakfast or enjoying an extra slice yourself. Pumpkins are legit superfoods themselves by containing a hearty dose of iron, zinc and my favorite – fiber!
In this recipe I’ve added 2 tablespoons of ground flax, not only does the flax add important soluble and insoluble fiber to the recipe, it’s adds protein and the all important omega-3 fatty acids. You can also make this recipe vegan by removing the eggs and adding 2 “flax” eggs to this recipe, the pumpkin and yogurt will still keep your loaf moist and delicious!
The other ingredient I want to talk about is my new favorite baking flour that you’ll be seeing in a ton of recipes – organic sprouted white wheat flour! This flour has the nutritional value of whole wheat with a flavor profile that mimics all purpose flour.
What is sprouting you ask? Why is it better? You can read about it here on Thrive’s site but basically these grains are lower in starch, and higher in nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals. They contain typically less gluten so while not great for things like pizza crusts and certain breads, they can be great for baking things like cookies and cakes.
Investing in new oils, flours, and spices is something I hope to promote here on All Things Nice. I don’t necessarily believe in a ton of crazy, weird and hard to find ingredients for cooking but there is tons of new information out there. As we move towards becoming better educated about how what we eat affects our health companies are responding by getting back to basics and bringing us more options for cooking and baking!
I love finding ways to incorporate these less mainstream ingredients into the foods we all love and introducing new items to you that can hopefully be come pantry staples!
Dreamiest Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- loaf pan
- stand mixer (optional)
- mixing bowl
Materials
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2.25 cup white wheat sprouted flour
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup monk fruit sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2.5 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper so the sides overhang by 2 inches on both sides.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or large mixing bowl works too) add your coconut oil, monk fruit, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla and nonfat yogurt mix to combine then add in eggs one at a time unit fully incorporated.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 2 additions
- Pour your batter in greased and lined loaf pan and bake for 50-60 mins depending on your oven. Start checking doneness by using a toothpick in the center around 50 mins. Allow to cool before slicing.
- If desired this can be topped with the cream cheese frosting, add 1/2 cup cream cheese to a glass bowl and microwave 20 seconds to soften, add in your maple syrup and cinnamon and whisk until smooth. Pour on top of slightly cooled cake and enjoy!
