On Bribing (IV): Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Another six months had passed and it was time again for another committee meeting! Here was the menu for this time:

Normal menu
Bottle of water
Spiced Nut Mix
Dark chocolate-covered pretzels (Trader Joe's)
Green tea and red bean mochi cake
Healthy pumpkin bread

Low-sugar menu
Bottle of water
Spiced Nut Mix
Cranberry Bran Muffin
Savory scallion pancake
Healthy pumpkin bread

The new kid on the block is this pumpkin bread from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook. It is packed full of whole grains, and virtually fat- and cholesterol-free.

It's really moist and a bit exotic with the cardamom in the mix. It was hearty and tasty and a nice change of pace from the normal pumpkin bread. And you don't notice that there's virtually no butter or other fat in the bread.


Healthy Pumpkin Bread (adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour (you can grind oats in your food processor or blade coffee grinder for this)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sucanat or raw sugar (turbinado), or white sugar if you don't have those
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (you can get this at Whole Foods or other natural food stores)
1/4 cup maple syrup

4 large egg whites

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and grease bottom and sides.

In a bowl, combine all the flours, wheat germ, sucanat or sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and pecans. Stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, pumpkin, rice syrup, and maple syrup until smooth and combined.

In a third bowl, whip egg whites by hand or with electric mixer until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into pumpkin mixture with a spatula. Then add dry ingredients and fold until just combined with a spatula.

Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 55 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve immediately, or freeze whole or in individually-wrapped slices for long-term storage. It will probably also last several days in an airtight container in the fridge.