Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration and you were able to spend some relaxing and quality time with your family over the long weekend. After a short sweet visit over our kind neighbor friends to greet, meet, exchanged cheers, hugs and kisses with their family and friends, we (my husband, son, daughter & I + dog) enjoyed a quiet and lovely family dinner at home sweet home this holiday. Since it was our first time not having to travel anywhere this year, I actually got to cook our Thanksgiving meal from beginning to end, which was rather exciting and a truly festive happy time around the table.
I don’t know about you, but after making the pumpkin pie, a batch of pumpkin muffins for Friday breakfast, some pumpkin rolls for lunch with the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, we still have some extra fresh pumpkin purée to use up, I guess I got a little carried away! Both children solved the dilemma and decided we should make our favorite Spelt Pumpkin Bread, meaning with lots of mini chocolate chips of course.
Our sweet little Lila, dressed-up in her pink princess dress and pretty polka dot barrette, rolled up her sleeves and volunteered to help “Chef Maman” (Chef Mommy) in the kitchen, so she could use her new favorite mini baking tools set received as a birthday gift from our thoughtful dear friends. Here’s our version du jour adapted from many different recipes tried over the past years and lots of instant feedback from my children who love to contribute with new suggestions, ideas and requests. Don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you, give it a try and create your own family favorite pumpkin bread too!
Our Favorite Spelt Pumpkin Bread
Makes: 2 loaves Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes + 60 minutes cooling time (Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free, Soy Free & Gluten Free)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (425 g) fresh pumpkin purée or 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling) 4 eggs, preferably organic* (see note for vegan version) 1 cup (200 ml) coconut oil (or olive oil) 2/3 cup (140 ml) water 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup (125 g) coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice, more if you like it extra sweet) 2 cups (285 g) wholegrain spelt flour 1 1/2 cups (195 g) sprouted spring wheat flour** (see note for any flour combinations or gluten free version) 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 cup chopped nuts + seeds (optional) 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips or chunks (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius). Grease and flour two 9×5 inch (23×24 cm) loaf pans. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. In a another large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until well mixed. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended, fold in the nuts, seeds and chocolate chips if using, do not over mix or the bread will be crumbly. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 75 minutes, check after one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before serving. You can freeze the second loaf, well-wrapped in the back of the freezer, for up to 2 months. Half the recipe quantity if you want to make ONE loaf, though this sweet bread will go quickly!Notes:
* To make this recipe vegan: Substitute the eggs with the flax mixture (1 egg = 1 tablespoon of ground golden flax seeds + 3 tablespoons warm water). In a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of ground golden flax seeds + 12 tablespoons warm water, let it rest for 10 minutes until well combined, then use the flax mixture as per the directions above. ** To make this recipe gluten free: Use any of your favorite store bought gluten free flour mix (rice, millet, sorghum, teff, etc.) or make your own mix in a breeze by reading here for additional information and tips. Of course, you could use any flours available in your pantry: All purpose white unbleached flour, whole wheat , white whole wheat and others. I like the nutty and slightly sweet flavor of spelt flour as well as the extra protein and I had to use up my organic spring wheat sprouted flour from Shiloh Farms. There’re many variations of the bread, feel free to add whatever you might fancy, any chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dairy, nut & soy free version from Enjoy Life), dried cranberries, golden raisins, or leave them out completely, do the same for the spices too.Happy baking in your kitchen!
Ketmala's Kitchen 