Walnut-Topped Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is an easy way to use up leftover pumpkin. The recipe calls for pumpkin purée which you can either get from a can, or make yourself by steaming or roasting the pumpkin pieces, scooping out the flesh, and either mashing with a fork or blending in a food processor. A fragrant array of spices -cinnamon and nutmeg -accent this moist pumpkin-nut bread. This pumpkin bread is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. If you like it to be sweeter, you might want to slather some nut butter or fruit jam on top, or add more sugar to the batter. I’m not very big on sweets, so this bread is the perfect morning breakfast to fuel me through the day. Pumpkin has a lot of fiber and the nuts make this bread the perfect grab and go breakfast. This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze the extra bread, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one month. Omit the nuts or substitute chopped walnuts, if you prefer or add raisins for a delicious variation.

Walnut-Topped Pumpkin Bread

Makes 2 loaves; 12 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

• 3 1/3  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  baking powder
• 2  teaspoons  baking soda
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 2  cups sugar
• 1/2  cup  egg substitute
• 1/2  cup  applesauce
• 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

• 2  large eggs
• 2/3  cup  water
• 1  (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• Cooking spray
• 1/3  cup  chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients in a bowl.
3. Place sugar, egg substitute, applesauce, milk+ vinegar, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, mixing until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle walnuts evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.