Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

I decided to do a test bread today. I made whole wheat pumpkin bread by adapting one of my favorite white flour pumpkin bread recipes – Spiced Pumpkin Nut Bread. It is a very moist loaf with a delicate spice flavor.

The process actually began in November. I had several big pumpkins for fall decorations and I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away especially given the current economic times. I would’ve kept the pumpkins out as decorations but I decided it would look funny to have pumpkins mixed in with the snowman display on my hearth.

So after Thanksgiving, I cut the pumpkins into big chunks and roasted them on a baking sheet until the meaty part was soft and the outside just peeled off. Then I pureed the pieces in the blender and added spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger) and sweetened the pumpkin to taste. I froze most of the pumpkin mixture but kept enough for a couple of batches of bread. Now that the busy Holiday season is over, I actually had time to make the bread.

I created my whole wheat pumpkin bread recipe by adapting the Nestle Spiced Pumpkin Nut Bread recipe. The original recipe calls for a can of pumpkin and 4 cups of all-purpose flour. I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour (that I ground in my grain mill from hard red spring wheat) and 2 cups of all-purpose. I also used 2 cups of pumpkin that I had roasted and pureed. I must say that I really like the end result. My taste tester liked it as well.

Spiced Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
Makes: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used freshly milled whole wheat flour)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pumpkin roasted, pureed and spiced (or 1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin)*
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup apple juice
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped nuts, divided (optional)