Maple Pumpkin Bread

Subtly sweet and delightfully spiced, this pumpkin bread is heartier and more wholesome than a standard pumpkin bread. It uses pure maple syrup to sweeten (no white sugar!) with butter and whole wheat flour. Try adding chopped pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips to the recipe.

Yield: 1 large loaf in 9x5x3 pan

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup melted butter
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Optional: pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips

*To make fresh pumpkin puree, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds, coat with butter or olive oil (optional), and roast cut-side down for about an hour until the pumpkin is soft and the skin peels off easily. Mash or puree the cooked pumpkin.

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9x5x3 pan.
2. Whisk the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a bowl and set aside.
3. Mix the pumpkin, salt, vanilla, maple, and melted butter together. Add the eggs and incorporate.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in optional ingredients. Do not over mix.
5. Bake in 9x5x3 pan for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.