I found this recipe tonight in my cookbook called “Simply In Season”, and since I’m a huge sucker for anything involving pumpkin (regardless of the current season), I just had to give it a go. The original recipe calls for nuts, but I subbed chocolate chips, cause let’s face it, that’s just more fun. I know it seems like a lot as you read through the ingredient list, but bear in mind it makes 2 big loaves. Here’s the recipe:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup sugar ( I used Stevia in the Raw to lower Calories)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp each, ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg
Mix all these together in a large bowl and then make a well.
2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree or other winter squash (I only had 2 cups pumpkin puree so I also used half a cup of light sour cream, but you could also use light plan yogurt or unsweetened applesauce to supplement whatever pumpkin puree you’re short)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup pecans or other nut chopped (I substituted Ghirardelli Chocolate chips here and i used about one cup)
optional 1 cup raisins or dates
Add these into the well and mix till all dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into 2 9×5 inch loaf pans (sprayed with nonstick spray). Bake in preheated oven at 350 for about 50 minutes, or till knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then loosen edges and turn loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool before slicing.
So, here it is coming out of the oven…..
And then after it was cooled…….
And then I sliced it and tried some…..
Okay, at this point, it was very good. It’s pretty dense due to all the wheat germ being in there, but keep in mind that also gives this bread a huge nutritional boost, what with all the added fiber, vitamins, and healthy oils. But, then I got the idea to add some icing to it that I had left over from the pumpkin ginger cupcakes I made a few weeks ago…..
Let me tell you people, that was where the magic happened. It was absolutely delicious. Don’t take my word for it though, try it for yourself. If you do try it, I’d love for you to leave some feedback by commenting on this post 🙂
(healthy) Vittles and Bits 