Description
This healthy pumpkin bread recipe combines wholesome ingredients like whole wheat pastry flour, pure pumpkin puree, and warm spices, delivering a moist, flavorful loaf sweetened naturally with pure maple syrup. Finished with a luscious maple glaze, it’s perfect for breakfast or a cozy snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (75g) butter
- 1 (15 ounce) (425g) can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (156g) pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (198g) whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
For the Glaze
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (or any milk), if necessary to thin glaze
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Browning the Butter: In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and whisk constantly as it melts. The butter will foam and crackle, then begin to brown and emit a nutty aroma with a golden amber color on the pan bottom. Remove from heat promptly to prevent burning and transfer to a medium bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes until cool enough to touch.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, pure maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in the cooled browned butter.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, stir whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and allspice until evenly combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently until just combined without overmixing.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Maple Glaze: Once cooled, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and pure maple syrup. Add almond milk only if needed to thin the glaze to a pourable consistency.
- Glaze and Serve: Pour the maple glaze over the bread, allow it to set briefly, then slice and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice for the individual cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice measurements for convenience.
- To make pumpkin muffins, divide the batter evenly into 12 greased muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Don’t forget the maple glaze!
- Use whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour for a tender crumb and healthier profile versus all-purpose flour.
- Browned butter adds a rich nutty flavor but be careful not to burn it; whisk constantly and remove promptly once browned.
- This bread freezes well; wrap tightly and thaw before glazing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12th of loaf)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 140mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
