Fall is in full force around here. Last week I was wearing shorts and eating ice cream while sweating my tail off in the 90 degree heat wave. This week, we are barely reaching the mid-50s. And the rain, all the rain, it is miserably dreary out. You bet I am wearing all the cozy sweaters, knee-high boots and fuzzy socks I can find. I even came home to a delivery of big fuzzy sweaters on my porch yesterday afternoon. There is no denying autumn has arrived. With that fall feel finally setting in, I’ve succumbed to all things fall. I pulled out my fall decorations, ordered a Starbuck’s PSL, and whipped up this tasty Skinny Spiced Pumpkin Bread. We may even take part in some pumpkin carving around here.
I’m curious, what fall activities have you guys been up to?! Any fun ideas I should try out? Even though I hide behind a computer screen most of the day, I do like to get out of the house once and while (believe it or not). My first PSL came about because I wanted to get out the house. I’m not one to run out and regularly purchase a coffee. Usually I prefer to grind my own beans and put on pot of my own. Plus, let’s be real, I’m cheap. But sometimes you get the itch and need a change of scenery. Oops, I digress.
However, speaking of coffee, my decadent Skinny Spiced Pumpkin Bread is the perfect pairing to your morning coffee. I actually got my inspiration for this from my mom’s banana bread recipe. My goal was to tweak the ingredients and make some healthy swaps to make so-called skinny spiced pumpkin bread. Trust me; this recipe was not my first attempt. It took a bit of trial and error. I’d like to think all my ideas and recipes are perfection, but not so much.
On my first attempt, I ran into trouble when I tried rice flour. Not sure what I was thinking. Rice flour is a no-go for bread. I ended up with a flat, dense, and straight up tough loaf of pumpkin bread. There was not enough icing in the world to make that recipe a winner. So I repeat, DO NOT USE RICE FLOUR. Nonetheless, I make mistakes so you don’t have to!
Consequently, I ended up sticking with all-purpose flour. You would likely have good results with whole wheat flour, but I did not try it, so I can’t promise you that. I was still able to lighten up my inspiration recipe by replacing the sugar with Truvia baking blend, the oil with applesauce and Greek yogurt.
For those less concerned about calories, you could opt for some additional add-ins. My favorites to throw in pumpkin bread are a handful of crushed walnuts, chocolate chips, or raisins. The options are endless!
You guys should know by now, I try to keep things easy as possible. I pretty much just add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and beat away with my mixer until a dough has formed. Then you can just add the batter to a greased loaf pan and toss in the oven. The hardest part will be waiting this one out. Let the bread bake until you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean.
When making my pumpkin bread, I like to put a little drizzle of glaze over the top. I just grab some powdered sugar and add a few tablespoons of milk until I have the consistency I like. Then I add just a 1/2 teaspoon or so of vanilla extract. However, this is totally optional.
And if you haven’t gotten enough pumpkin this fall, be sure to check out my Pumpkin Tortiglioni Pasta with Pork, and Sage! Happy eating!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 70 minutes |
| Servings |
slices
|
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup Truvia baking blend (1 cup regular sugar)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 tablespoons milk of choice
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin pie spice
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray.
- While oven is heating, combine dry ingredients (flour, Truvia, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add applesauce, yogurt, eggs, milk, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice to the dry mixture. Using a spatula, stir the wet ingredients into the mixture to moisten the dry ingredients.
- When the mixture is partially combined, use an electric mixer. Mix on low until well combined.
- Transfer the batter into the greased loaf pan and place in the oven.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
