Today we baked!

I have been meaning to post a pumpkin quick bread recipe for quite a while now as I first attempted it back in September when I was obsessed with quick breads and dreaming up the different combinations that I could create. I have tried many variations on this loaf until finally I’ve come up with two that I am really satisfied with.

This is my head on recipes…

Not so neat and organized.

When I come up with recipes, I originally have an idea of what I am going to do but it doesn’t always turn out the way I plan it too. Pumpkin bread proved to be tricky because pumpkin is so dense. It was hard to get the bread to be moist enough and still be able to rise. To me, a quick bread has got to be moist because I hate dried out baking. It also has to be sweet and have a perfect touch of spices.

The final two loaves I came up with are both sugar-free and oil-free. They are also both made with spelt flour so they are healthy as well as delicious and perfectly moist.

Pumpkin Gingerbread or Pumpkin Ginger Muffins

Sweet and moist with a perfect touch of ginger and spices.

Makes one 9 x 5 loaf or 14 muffins

Dry

• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Wet

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (careful not to over mix). Pour the batter into a non-stick  9 x 5 loaf pan and bake 45-50 minutes. Loaf is ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

If making muffins, pour the batter into a lightly greased or baking cup lined muffin pan, filling each muffin cavity 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18- 20 minutes. Muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Of course we made both.

And had to taste test both.

The recipe is equally delicious in both forms. 😉

Pumpkin Bread #2

Molasses Pumpkin Bread or Muffins

This loaf has a nice touch of molasses to give it a richer flavor as well as a host of many minerals.

Makes one 9 x 5 loaf or 14 muffins

Ingredients

Dry

• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Wet

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (careful not to over mix). Pour the batter into a non-stick  9 x 5 loaf pan and bake 45-50 minutes. Loaf is ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

If making muffins, pour the batter into a non-stick muffin pan and bake for 18- 20 minutes. Muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

And that was how I spent my afternoon. Now, with a belly full of Pumpkin Bread, I feel ready for a nap!