Vegan Spiced Pumpkin Bread

It's been a while since I baked up some bread.  But I couldn't just make one big loaf, so I opted for a pile of little mini loaves, made dairy-free with pumpkin and lots of spices.   In fact, this bread is so well spiced, that you might stop for a second, like I did, and wonder if it's gingerbread, thanks to a little bit of added molasses.  Soft and tender, this is a delicious little loaf.  I had a bit with my breakfast and then later a little nibble for a late night snack. It's just too good.  And since it's vegan, you know there was a reason that I decided to make this recipe, as my tendencies rarely lean toward vegan or dairy free cooking.  So a vegan recipe and the last day of the month can only mean one thing: Foodie Pen Pal reveal day!

Every month I look forward to Foodie Pen Pals, a concept thought up by Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean.  Go visit her blog to learn how to join--bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome!  Each month you'll have a chance to send a box full of goodies to on foodie while receiving a box for yourself.  This month we tried something new, swapping boxes with the same person.  It's a great way to try new things and meet new people.  Again this month we swapped boxes with just one person and I was paired with Rachael from Rubber Cow Girl.  She's got a fun blog, with more than just vegan recipes, but also gardening advice, travel adventures and more. And she sent me a great package full of chocolate!  Oh, be still my heart!  Where to begin?  The ricemilk crunch bar from Enjoy Life was super good and I may have eaten half of it before I took the photo.  Dave liked it to.  I've been rationing the Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds to myself and am looking forward to the Equal Exchange Chocolates bar.  Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter, Annie's Cocoa and Vanilla bunny cookies and a coconut cream pie Lara Bar round out a completely indulgent and fun package.  Thanks so much Rachael!  Go check out her blog and see how cool she is!

But back to this bread.  My new authority when I want a vegan baked good is Averie at Averie Cooks.  What can I say--she does it right and full of flavor and you wouldn't know there wasn't any dairy in this bread.  I omitted the streusel topping since I didn't have a vegan spread to use as a binder in place of butter.  Then I doubled the quantities and poured the batter into 6 mini loaf pans.  I sent two to Rachael, put two on the counter for instant devouring, and hid the last two in the freezer for later.  This bread is seriously soft and tender and has loads of flavor--perhaps a bit too much. I really which the pumpkin was more prominent, so I might toy with decreasing the molasses a bit, which I think is what's overwhelming the pumpkin just a touch.  But, yes, it's still delicious.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Vegan Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk, room temperature
4 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch salt
2 1/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, beat together pumpkin and sugars.

Stir in coconut oil, almond milk, molasses and vanilla, then add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, nutmeg and salt.

Gradually stir in flour and baking powder until incorporated, taking care not to overwork the batter and scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.  It will be a very thick batter.

Lightly spray six mini loaf pans with cooking spray.  Divide batter evenly among the pans.  I use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter, generally two scoops per pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the tops are set, the sides start to remove from the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans for 10-15 minutes before transferring to wire racks to complete cooling.

Makes 6 mini loaves.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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