With the fall-like days we have been experiencing over the past week, I have been craving some pumpkin bread. The problem with pumpkin bread is that there are way too many recipes floating around for it, and it’s hard to determine which one will actually work best for your own specific tastes. I found three recipes that each had certain things I was looking for to create a not-too-sweet, moist, and somewhat healthier version of pumpkin bread. By combining the recipes for Pumpkin Bread, Healthy and Delicious Pumpkin Bread, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread with Greek Yogurt, I think I created something like what I was aiming for. The addition of Greek yogurt allowed me to cut down on the amount of fat used, while still maintaining the moistness I desired. Also, by using an entire can of pumpkin puree for one loaf, I upped the nutritional value. I couldn’t bear to substitute whole wheat flour for the entire recipe, so I kept some of the all-purpose flour. I think you would easily be able to play around with different types of flour in this recipe.
The consistency of this bread turned out magnificently, crunchy on the outside, and actually cooked through and moist on the inside. A lot of bread recipes will still be uncooked on the inside, which always makes me worry about food safety issues. Call me crazy for not wanting to eat uncooked egg product that has been sitting out to exposed air for a week or more. If you attempt to cook the bread for a longer period of time to avoid this, you end up with a burnt tasting crust on the outside. I love the recipe I came up with because it allows me to make only one loaf of bread, while most pumpkin bread recipes will yield two or three. B.O.B. Bob and I can only eat so much pumpkin bread, before our tummies start to take on the appearance of pumpkins themselves.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1 (6-oz.) Container of Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 (15-oz.) Can Pumpkin Puree
- 1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Whole Grain Oat Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with butter.
- Combine butter, sugars, and yogurt in a mixing bowl. Cream the mixture together for two minutes with a hand mixer on medium-low.
- Add eggs and vanilla, and mix for one minute.
- Mix canned pumpkin in with a spatula, until well combined.
- In another bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour all at once over batter, then stir just enough to moisten all ingredients.
- Pour batter evenly into loaf pan, and then tap on the counter to get out any large air bubbles.
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in pan, before removing to a rack to cool.
Suggestions:
- Make sure to use a spatula when combining the pumpkin puree into the batter. A hand mixer will fling batter everywhere. I learned from experience.
- I used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Oat Flour in this recipe. You can substitute any wheat flour you like, or just use only all-purpose flour instead.
- Make sure to use 100% Pure Pumpkin in this recipe, and not Pumpkin Pie Mix, which has sugar and spices already added to it.
- For breakfast, serve this bread with a banana.
- For dessert, try adding whipped cream on top or even chocolate sauce for an extra indulgence.
Improvements:
- Nuts would be wonderful in this bread, especially pecans or walnuts.
- If you prefer the taste of a traditional pumpkin pie, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
-Colleen
