The way I see it, you can drink an entire meal’s worth of calories in a single pumpkin spice latte or you can actually sink your teeth into something with the same flavors. The fiber in the pumpkin and whole wheat flour actually help fill you up without giving you a crazy sugar rush. If you need your drinkable autumn spices, enjoy it with a hearty cup of milky chai tea.
Pumpkin Chai Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup strongly brewed chai tea
½ cup softened butter or coconut oil
½ tsp vanilla
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Start by creaming the eggs, sugars, and butter or coconut oil. Add the vanilla, pumpkin puree, chai tea, garam masala, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Most people add the leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) to the dry ingredients, but I’m lazy. Plus, I find that as long as I really beat it in while making sure all my wet ingredients are smooth, I achieve the desired effect of integrating the baking powder and soda evenly throughout the dough. If you’re persnickity, you can always mix it into your flours instead. I may judge you, but I’m not grading you.
Now mix in your flours. Once you’ve achieved something the density of an overly heavy cake batter, you’re ready to pour it into a pair of 1-pound loaf pans.
Lube up the loaf pans and fill them ⅔ to ¾ full with tasty batter. Optionally, sprinkle the top of each loaf with an extra couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Go ahead and live a little.
Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This makes a beautifully dense breakfast bread. I love waking up to a thick, toasted slice served with a couple sausage links and a dab of both butter and maple syrup. And, of course, a cup of strong, milky chai tea.
TO VEGANIZE THIS RECIPE:
– use coconut oil instead of butter
– leave out the eggs
– and add in 1 small, ripe banana, fully mashed
– add 1 more tsp of baking powder
– add 1 more tsp garam masala