Canned pumpkin is such a great, inexpensive way to get a great source of vitamins, a lot of fiber, and your vegetable in a yummy way! I created this pumpkin loaf with flax seed, whole-wheat flour, low sugar, and buttermilk to make it as healthy as can be! It is also lighter and less calories than regular pumpkin loafs because there is no butter or oil.
A slice of this pumpkin bread is great for us busy on-the-go college students, and I love having it to use as a quick breakfast.
Pumpkin-Flax Loaf:
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 3 Egg whites
- 1 and 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 3/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon All spice
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Pureed Cooked Pumpkin (Canned is perfectly okay!)
- 1/2 cup Raisins (Optional)
- 1/2 cup Walnuts (Optional)
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a nonstick 8- x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2.In a large bowl, combine the sugar, buttermilk, eggs (or if you sub. add 2Tbsp. Flax) and oil. Whisk until smooth.
3.In a medium bowl whole-wheat flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to mix.
4.Add to the liquid ingredients, and stir just until blended; do not overmix. Add the pumpkins and stir to mix.
5.Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan to a wire rack, and let the bread cool slightly. While it is still slightly warm, turn the bread out of the pan. The longer you let it sit and cool, the easier it is to cut.
Recipe Tips
1. Use canned pumpkin that doesn’t have any sugar added to it.
2. Ground flaxseed is sold in natural food stores. Store any unused flaxseed in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.
3. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use ½ cup of any type of milk (even soy, almond, etc.) and mix it with 1 Tbsp. of White vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for 3 minutes and it will be soured.
Enjoy this healthy, nutritious loaf – it has so much goodness inside of it!