Turn your leftover pumpkin into this delicious Pumpkin Spice Bread. Made with nutritious spelt flour and naturally sweetened with honey
A healthier bread to snack on
Sorry for another pumpkin recipe in a short space of time! If you’re like me, you’ve probably been a little sick of seeing too much pumpkin by now. This is coming from a person who loves Halloween and pumpkins.
I actually made this bread months ago, not for Halloween, but for a healthier snack for my family. After falling a little behind because of our recent trip, I thought now was a great time to post this Pumpkin Spice Bread just before this month ended.
Baking sweet treats with vegetables is something I love doing because I can trick my toddler, Kai into eating them. Since he turned one, he avoids most kinds of vegetables!
This healthier pumpkin bread is beautifully spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. It’s also sweetened naturally with honey and made with nutritious spelt flour.
We don’t have pumpkins in cans here, so I roasted my pumpkins and pureed them. You could also steam or boiled the pumpkins.
So with all this goodness, we don’t have to feel guilty when tucking into this Pumpkin Spiced Bread. It’s perfect for breakfast, a snack or anytime with a relaxing cup of tea or coffee.
Why don’t Australians have pumpkin puree in cans?
This is something I’ve been questioning for a while! I mean, we have pumpkins in abundance and they seem available throughout the year. So why don’t we Aussies have canned pumpkin puree?
It’s so peculiar, we have canned pumpkin soup, but not pumpkin puree! Maybe I should start a business that produces this. Will I end up being a billionaire for my pumpkin business venture? Probably not, but come on, I know I can’t be the only one that wants canned pumpkin puree on our shelves!
I get so envious when I see American recipes that use convenient canned pumpkin in their luscious dessert! So, the other day I googled canned pumpkin, and it popped up on Amazon, and guess what? They were asking for approximately $10 for a can of pumpkin. My thrifty side kicked in, so I closed my browser.
For now, for those that can’t get pumpkin in a can, we’ll just have to make our own pumpkin puree. I roasted mine in the oven, but you could steam or boil the pumpkin them before blitzing it in a food processor.
We have some more sweet treats to tempt you with:
What is spelt flour?
Spelt is a type of ancient grain/wheat related to rye and barley. Originally from Iran and Europe, spelt has made a big comeback because of its health benefits. Spelt flour is made from entire grains, so it’s more nutritious than plain/all-purpose flour.
What does spelt taste like?
Spelt has a nutty and slightly tangy flavour, similar to wholewheat/wholemeal flour.
Is spelt flour healthy?
Spelt flour is highly nutritious because it’s made from whole grain. It’s rich in protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates. Spelt is also rich in vitamins and minerals that include iron, magnesium and zinc.
Whole grains, including spelt, can assist in digestion by helping the body stay regular. It is also known to reduce inflammation.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Bread
White spelt flour – Spelt flour is made using entire grains, so it’s more nutritious than plain/all-purpose flour. It has a slightly nutty and tangy flavour. If preferred, you could swap equal amounts of spelt flour for regular plain flour.
Honey – I used honey to sweeten my bread, but you could swap honey with equal amounts for maple, date or agave syrup.
Buttermilk is fermented milk that is thick in consistency and sour in taste. No buttermilk in your fridge? Make 1 cup of buttermilk substitute by mixing 1 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon in a jug/bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, the milk should thicken slightly. Give it a quick stir before using.
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How to make Pumpkin Spice Bread
Step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. Roast the pumpkin for 30 to 35 minutes until they’re soft.
In the meantime, grease and line the base and sides of a 24 x 13 cm (9.5 x 5 in) loaf tin with non-stick baking/parchment paper.
Mix all the topping ingredients together (if using) in a small bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
Leave to pumpkin to cool on the tray for 5 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (360°F) or 160°C (320°F) for fan-forced ovens.
Place the pumpkin in the food processor and blitz until it reaches a puree consistency. Add in the eggs, honey, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract and blitz for another 20 seconds.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then pour in the pumpkin mixture. Fold to combine, just until no dry ingredients are visible, but take care not to over-mix. Pour batter into the tin, then sprinkle the top of the batter with the rolled oats mixture (if using). Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before transferring the bread onto a cooling rack.
Leftovers – Transfer the pumpkin spice bread into a sealed container and leave it in a cool place at room temperature for up to 3 days. If it’s humid, store the bread in the fridge. The bread will keep for 2 to 3 months if frozen.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
Pumpkin Spice Bread (with spelt flour)
Ingredients
- 400 gm peeled butternut pumpkin (cut into 1 in cubes)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup honey (or maple syrup) (NOTE 2)
- ⅓ cup mild or light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1⅔ cup spelt flour (250gm/8.8oz)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
TOPPING (OPTIONAL)
- 2 tbsp rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
- 1 tsp demerara sugar (or raw sugar)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (360°F) for fan-forced ovens. Roast the pumpkin for 30 to 35 minutes until they're soft. In the meantime, grease and line the base and sides of a 24 x 13 cm (9.5 x 5 in) loaf tin with non-stick baking/parchment paper.In a small bowl, mix all the topping ingredients together (if using). In a separate large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
- Leave to pumpkin to cool on the tray for 5 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (360°F) or 160°C (320°F) for fan-forced ovens. Place the pumpkin in the food processor and blitz until it reaches a puree consistency. Add in the eggs, honey, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract and blitz for another 20 seconds.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then pour in the pumpkin mixture. Fold to combine, just until no dry ingredients are visible, but take care not to over-mix. Pour batter into tin, then sprinkle the top of the batter with the rolled oats mixture (if using). Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before transferring the bread onto a cooling rack.
