Healthy Pumpkin Bread
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup of milk or water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (do not substitute for baking powder)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- Optional: 1/2 cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit
- Pinch of ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mix the oil and honey 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.)
- Add the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 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.
