Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Some of you know of my obsession with fall, although living in South Carolina fall looks different from how it did up north.  There are few changing leaves and the weather remains on the warmer side, but in my kitchen it is fall.  Bring on the pumpkins, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  For the past two weekends I have been making my favorite fall recipe: Pumpkin Bread.

This recipe was found by my sister Rachel when we were Americorps volunteers.  She was a in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps and they had a cookbook just like many church cookbooks.  The recipe was originally Christa’s Pumpkin Bread but I have made some changes to make it healthier.

Instead of all white flour I use half white and half wheat flour.  I also put in half the sugar to decrease the sweetness.  My favorite part is the applesauce which gives the bread a delicious moistness paired with the prominent pumpkin flavor, and of course I add chocolate chips.  I also love that it makes two loaves (I freeze the 2^nd loaf until I’m ready to dig in).  Plus it is SO easy.  It takes me about 10 min to whip up a batch.

All year long I wait for fall to come so I can bake this recipe.  It is my favorite of all favorites. 

Adorable mini-loaves!

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

(2 Loaves)

1 ¾ cups white all purpose flour

1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 ½ cup sugar

2 cups pumpkin (15 oz can)

1 cup applesauce

1/3 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups chocolate chips (or a few handfuls)

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then using a mixer add the liquid ingredients into the dry (just dump them in) and mix until smooth.  Pour into 2 greased bread pans.  Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  That’s it!