Pumpkin Bread

Mountain Dining In

Pumpkin Bread

Healthy fat, no cholesterol, delicious!

Sandy and I found an excellent recipe for pumpkin bread in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1979. We have modified the recipe by substituting water for most of the oil, and eliminated the cholesterol by switching the 4 eggs with egg beaters. It comes out yummy and much healthier!

Homemade pumpkin bread is definitely not guiltless, unless of course, you spend your days actively skiing or hiking. If you are looking for a quick breakfast or snack that tastes great, packs plenty of energy, can be stored on the counter for at least a week, then homemade pumpkin bread is definitely a hit!

At 8 slices per pumpkin bread, each slice is 365 calories with 66 of those calories from healthy fat. If you leave out the optional pecan pieces and shredded coconut, then each slice is 273 calories, only 15 of which are from the unsaturated fat contributed by the Canola oil (considered a healthy oil). You can also cut out calories by using unsweetened shredded coconut. The pecan pieces add flavor, and the shredded coconut gives the bread a sweeter, more desert like taste.

As a side note, Coconut oil contains medium chained fatty acids (MGCAs). These MFCAs are very potent and they are known for their ability to kill off harmful parasites, bacteria and even viruses. Both mother's milk and coconut oil contain this type of fatty acid.

Researchers from Loma Linda University in California and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, have confirmed that when pecans are part of the daily diet, levels of bad cholesterol in the blood drop. So, perhaps those extra calories and fat from the coconut and pecans are not so bad after all!

Ingredients for 2 loaves:

1½ cups dark brown sugar 1080 calories

1½ cups white granulated sugar 1080 calories

2 cups well-mashed pumpkin (small can) 200 calories

2 tablespoons Canola oil 240 calories from fat

4 eggs, or cup of egg beaters 120 calories for egg beaters

¾ cup of water

1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 ½ cups sifted flour 1540 calories

1 tablespoon soda

1 teaspoon each salt, nutmeg and cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup mission figs 110 calories

1/4 cup pecan pieces or whole (200calories /180 calories from saturated fat)

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes 1280 calories/640 calories from saturated fat

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Preparation:

Step 1:

· Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you prepare the pumpkin bread.

· In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg beaters, sugars, pumpkin, water, vanilla extract and oil and beat until well blended.

· In the smaller mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, the flour, soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

· Add the dry ingredients to the moist ingredients in the large mixing bowl and beat as you add them.

· After your have finished beating the batter for several minutes, add the mission figs, pecans, and coconut. Beat the batter just enough to mix in the figs, pecans, and coconut.

· So that the pumpkin bread will not stick to the baking pan when it is done, spray a light coat of Canola oil in the baking pans. Then coat the baking pans with a light dusting of flour before adding the pumpkin bread batter.

· Pour the pumpkin bread batter into two 9 inch baking pans.

Step 2:

· Put the baking pans with the pumpkin bread into the preheated oven at 350 degrees.

· Cook the bread for 60 minutes. Test the bread by sticking a table knife into the bread. If the table knife comes out clean, the bread is done. If not, continue baking and testing the bread about every 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 3:

· Remove the bread from the oven.

· To remove the bread from the bread pans, turn the bread pan upside down over a paper plate so the bread falls out onto the paper plate. The bread is ready to slice and eat any time.

· After the pumpkin bread has cooled, cover it in plastic wrap. We just store the bread on the kitchen counter until it is gone.

John Williamson

530-412-1356