Healthy Pumpkin Bread

It's that time again.

All my favorite bloggers are posting pumpkin things.

I also want to eat all the pumpkin things.

Here are a few that I've been lusting over:

Whole wheat pumpkin spice muffins

Pumpkin cheesecake pillow popovers

Healthy maple glazed pumpkin muffins

Pumpkin spice cheesecake bars

So, as I'm sure you're wondering, why add another pumpkin recipe to the already-pumpkin-overloaded-interwebs?

Well, I happen to think this particular pumpkin recipe is a keeper. I found it five years ago and have been making it every October since without fail.

This is a healthy-ish version of pumpkin bread made with whole wheat flour, less sugar, and less fat than most recipes. I also seem to add or substitute one ingredient for another every time that I make it, but it always turns out well. This time I substituted healthier olive oil for the canola oil and added in some superfood flax seeds into the streusel topping.

This recipe makes 2 loaves, which I like. I usually keep one for us and give the other one away.

This weekend, I gave the other loaf to a friend's parents who were hosting us for the weekend. They LOVED it. In fact, her mom called the pumpkin bread "the highlight of the weekend."

Told you it was a keeper.

This bread is not overly sweet. If you've got a sweet tooth, you could add additional sugar, or do as we did and smear a slice with some honey walnut cream cheese. YUM!

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3 tablespoons flax seeds (or pecans or walnuts or pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup brown sugar
scant 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare 2 nine-inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, milk eggs, olive oil, and vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

When there are about 10 minutes left on the timer, start the streusel topping.

In a small bowl, combine oats, flax seeds, sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon.

Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the cold butter into the mixture until it is crumbly.

Remove the loaves from the oven. Sprinkle evenly with streusel and bake for another 35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.


Pumpkin bread recipe adapted from Live Better America

Streusel Topping recipe adapted from Eat Live Run