No sugar, No oil, No gluten Pumpkin Bread- Yum Yum

by Josslyn Streett, of Rain Shadow Reiki

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I felt inspired to share my family’s favorite pumpkin bread recipe.  A friend back in California shared this with us when my boys were very little.  We made it that first year and everyone loved it, so much we started making it for our neighbors, mailman and friends who would come over.  It’s magic this pumpkin bread recipe.  The grumpiest mail man in the world turned into the nicest mail man in the world once we game him some pumpkin bread. He actually wrote us a thank you note and I’m positive, to this day, we are the only ones he smiled for.   Years later after we had moved away from our old neighborhood, we went back to visit.  Low and behold, who pulls up just as we are outside saying good-bye to our neighbors, Joe, our ‘old’ mail man.  He remembered us and smiled and said “HI” then asked how we were and where we landed after the trip.  Magic pumpkin bread.  Maybe, maybe not.  But, it doesn’t hurt, does it?!

So, this Holiday season, make some magic pumpkin bread to give to your mail man, trash truck driver, chiropractor’s office, friends, or just for yourself.  It’s delicious and everyone deserves a treat, even people who don’t normally get to have sugar, like me.

Here I’m listing the original recipe first and the healthier substitutions in parentheses.  That way you may choose which version you want to make and eat.  I’m grateful that I can still eat this wonderful pumpkin bread even though I do not eat sugar or gluten.  But, the truth is, the original recipe truly does taste the best.  Maybe not taste better, but the consistency is better.  But, those of us with food sensitivities are used to trying new things and used to going without the old ones.  We still live and thrive on delicious food.  Enjoy either recipe depending upon your diet.

Delicious Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1. Beat together in first bowl:

4 eggs  (or substitute 6 oz egg whites)

3 C sugar or ( 2 1/4 C Honey) or (2 C Agave)  (when using honey or agave reduce the water by 1/4)

1 C vegetable oil  or (1 C baby food prunes) or (1 C no sugar added applesauce)

2. In a separate bowl, sift together:

3 C flour or (3 C gluten-free Pamela’s Baking Mix) or (1 C spelt flour, 1 C brown rice flour, 1 C Buckwheat)

1/2 t baking powder, 2 t baking soda, 3/4 t sea salt, 2 t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg,     1 t cloves, 1 t allspice

3. Mix well, then add to the ingredients of the first bowl and blend with hand mixer.

4. Add last:

2 C Pumpkin

2/3 C water (with agave or honey in between 1/3 and 1/2 C of water.  Try the lessor amount and work up as needed.)

5. Mix well with hand mixer or very strong arms.

6. Bake at 350 degrees

7. Baking times:

24 muffins, bake for 30 minutes

2 large loaves, bake for 1 hour 15 minutes

4 smaller loaves, bake for 1 hour 30 minutes

10 mini loaves, bake for 45 minutes

8. Cool and enjoy!