So satisfying as a breakfast or snack with a warm cup of brew, Pumpkin Bread is a comfort food any time of year. This is a low-carb, Paleo-style bread, so it’s grain-free, with natural, zero-sugar sweeteners.
About Paleo sweeteners… I love honey, a true Paleo sweetener, however I don’t use it much because it is extremely high in sugar and carbs, much like cane sugar! Honey will give you a nice big blood sugar spike, and that’s not how I want to start my day. I stopped using Stevia when I discovered it is highly processed with chemicals, which is not Paleo at all. I occasionally use unprocessed green powdered stevia, however many people dislike its strong aftertaste. This recipe is designed for you to sweeten to your taste depending on the sweetener you’re using. I’m using a new Lo Han sweetener called Lo Han Pure, made by Swanson. It’s a safe and natural sweetener made from Monk Fruit and is zero glycemic with zero calories, to give your blood sugar a break. (This is a REAL find!) Lo Han Pure is about 2x as sweet as sugar, so I used just half of the normal amount, and it was delicious. Another zero-carb sweetener is Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root. Or use your own favorite sweetener.
This Pumpkin Bread is tree-nut optional, for those of you that have allergies. If that’s YOU, to make it tree nut-free, use arrowroot in the batter instead of almond meal; Use coconut butter for the nut butter; and omit the nuts in the last step. Hooray! A food processor is needed to grind the shredded coconut. A digital scale is helpful to weigh the pumpkin. Makes 3 mini loaves 4.5 x 2.5 x 2, or a 9 x 9-inch square pan.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut flakes (not coconut flour)
- 1/4 cup almond meal or arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon and a little more unprocessed salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- Zest of 1/2 orange or lemon
- 2 inches fresh ginger root, chopped or grated (20 grams), or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon maple flavoring (optional)
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup almond butter or your favorite nut butter (Use coconut butter if you’re tree-nut intolerant)
- 200 grams raw pumpkin, in 1/2-inch chunks. That’s about 3/4 cup. It’s also easy to use butternut squash, or pre-cubed squash from any market.
- 1/4 cup Paleo sweetener. Taste the batter and sweeten to taste. (I used Lo Han Pure, which is about 2x times as sweet as sugar. You could also use Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener), or your favorite sweetener.
- 1 1/2 cups nuts, soaked and toasted if possible (See All About Nuts.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 3 small loaf pans covered with parchment paper and handles on each side for easy removal. I use office clips to hold paper in place on the sides.
- In a dry food processor, add shredded coconut, almond meal or arrowroot, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom. Process well. Spin it for a full minute. Open the processor to redistribute the flakes, then spin again. It’s important to grind the shredded coconut into a fine flour.
- To the ingredients already in the food processor, add the eggs, zest, ginger, vanilla, maple -if using, vinegar, nut butter, and raw pumpkin (or squash) chunks. Process again very well until liquefied.
- Taste the batter (Yum!) and add sweetener to taste. Process well until you’re satisfied with the sweetness level.
- Add nuts and pulse them in very briefly so they remain in chunks.
- Pour batter into 3 prepared pans. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Test for doneness when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for quicker cooling. You’ll find this bread is easier to slice after refrigeration. Oh, never mind that – just slice it immediately, and enjoy warm!
