Perhaps it’s nostalgia for my childhood and my Mom’s delicious pumpkin bread that makes me crave a moist, spicy, morsel this time of year. Truly, I look forward to it as soon as the leaves start turning. It is definitely one of my favorite treats and if you can find some mini loaf pans, it makes a great gift!
Unfortunately, my Mom’s recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of sugar, which is just way too much for me, so I have modified the old favorite so that I can enjoy every bite and feel good about it. Not only did I cut down on the amount of sweetener, but I opt for honey instead of sugar and I’ve also replaced the flour with blanched almond meal, which will make anyone on a gluten-free diet jump for joy. I make substitutions for grains that contain gluten whenever possible to broaden my exposure to other wholesome grains and avoid especially, overly hybridized wheat. I also use coconut oil, which is rich in medium-chain triglycerides and remains stable when heated as compared to molecularly unstable poly-unsaturated vegetable oils.
This bread is incredibly moist and satisfying. I hope you enjoy!
THE RECIPE
1 ⅔ cup blanched almond meal ⅓ cup tapioca starch ½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ¾ tsp sea salt 2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice ½ cup coconut oil (melt in oven in pyrex bowl if solid) 1 cup pumpkin (if using freshly baked pumpkin, strain out any access moisture) 2 organic free-range eggs ½ cup honey (for sweeter bread increase to ¾ cup)
Preheat oven to 325 if using a glass loaf pan or 350 if using a metal loaf pan. Combine dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour blended wet ingredients over mixed dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Grease pan with small amount of coconut oil and dust with a bit of tapioca starch. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for an hour and fifteen minutes or until an inserted knife comes out mostly clean. Note: the bread is very moist and the almond meal does not act the same as regular flour so an inserted knife will never come out totally clean, but the bread should be firm on top.
