Pumpkin Walnut Spice Bread

Pumpkin Walnut Spice Bread

I’m not sure what it is about the kids going back to school that sends me running for the pumpkin spices.  It certainly wasn’t the chillier air this year since September greeted us with more 90+ degree days than I care to count.  

It must be tradition then.

When summer starts winding down most of us just instinctively say goodbye to picnics and barbecues and chart a new course towards the holiday baking aisles of our supermarkets.  Whatever causes this shift may remain one of those unsolved mysteries.

In any event, as soon as my daughter returned to school, I gravitated to a lonely can of pumpkin puree that was left abandoned on my pantry shelf several months ago at the first signs of spring air.  

The result of my back to school baking project was a delicious pumpkin walnut spice bread that made an outstanding after-school snack for my little girl.  Actually she’s not so little anymore.  She’ll be 14 in a few weeks and she ate three pieces.

As far as I’m concerned if the bread passes the picky teen test, it has to be good.

Pumpkin Walnut Spice Bread

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 65-70 min

Servings: 8-12

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking blend)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (or 175ºC) and spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 8x4) with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and tsp salt and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice and whisk until well combined.
4. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients and stir until the batter is homogenous but don’t over mix. 
5. Stir in the walnuts and pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.  
6. Bake at 350 for between 65 and 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the pumpkin bread for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack then serve.