Whenever I think about the reality of reducing our grain (particularly wheat) consumption, I have to admit that I get a little sad-faced.  I am a bread girl all the way, and there’s not much I enjoy more than a steaming cup of coffee with a slice of pumpkin bread. Or a blueberry muffin.  Or a slice of carrot cake.  I’ll stop now.

Who knew that grain-free quick breads and cakes were possible?  (I didn’t until very recently!)  I somehow stumbled across two recipes last week (at Elana’s Pantry) for paleo pumpkin bars and pumpkin bread.  {“Paleo” refers to a type of diet that contains only whole, unprocessed foods, and rules out grains of any sort.}

Apparently a yummy version of quick bread can be made with ingredients such as almond meal and coconut flour.  I tried it, and it really does work!  Grain-free bread is denser and more moist than a typical quick bread made with grains.

I combined the two recipes I found into one delicious pumpkin spice bread.  The first time I made it, I added a half-cup of chocolate chips (to ensure my kiddos would eat the bread, ha!) but the second time, I left them out.  Because this recipe is so spiced, I prefer it without the chocolate.  Also, I think it tastes best with both butter and coconut oil, but feel free to use just one or the other!

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread {adapted from this and this}

1/4 c. almond flour

1/4 c. coconut flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

4 eggs

1/4 c. honey

1 c. pumpkin puree (homemade works best in this recipe)

2 T. butter, melted

2 T. coconut oil, melted

handful of chocolate chips or raisins or chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients (eggs, honey, pumpkin, coconut oil, and butter.)  Whisk for about a minute.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts, if desired.

Transfer batter to a greased 8 x 8″ baking dish.  (This recipe won’t bake properly in a traditional 8 x 5″ loaf pan.)  Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

-Abby