Einkorn Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread

Making quick breads is a great way to enjoy homemade bread without spending very much time or effort in the kitchen. I especially enjoy Banana Breads and Pumpkin Breads.

I had forgotten how much I liked Quick Breads until I revisited this Pumpkin Gingerbread a few weeks ago. It was so good!  The only drawback with regular quick breads is that they are usually made with all-purpose flour and white sugar so it’s best to enjoy them in moderation.

When this Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread recipe from Fine Cooking came across my inbox (twice), I took that as my cue to experiment. The olive oil adds healthy fat and antioxidants so this is a more nutritious bread on it’s own merit, but I chose to make it even healthier by using Einkorn flour. I was delighted with the results.

 

The original recipe includes whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. My adaptation doesn’t include any all-purpose or modern wheat flour at all. It is made exclusively with Einkorn flour. I made the first loaf with 80% Extraction Einkorn Flour from Jovial Foods and a second loaf with whole grain Einkorn flour that I had milled in my grain mill. 

 

Einkorn Olive Oil Pumpkin Quick Bread

Adapted from: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/olive-oil-pumkin-bread.aspx 

Makes: 1 Loaf (Double the recipe to make 2 loaves)

Ingredients:

• 6-1/4 oz. (~ 1 1/2 – 1 5/8 cups) Einkorn Flour (80% Extraction or Whole Grain Einkorn Flour)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• Handful of unsalted pumpkin seeds, optional

 

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the center. Spray a 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan with cooking spray.  The original recipe used a 9x5-inch pan but this was too big for my version. I wanted it to rise more.  I also used a glass pan rather than a non-stick pan.

 

2) Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt) in a large bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin, sugar, oil, and honey) in another bowl until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the batter is evenly incorporated. Be careful not to over stir. The original recipe said to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients but I did just the opposite.

 

3) Spoon the batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with the pumpkin seeds (if using), and press them down lightly.  The whole grain Einkorn loaf is on the left and the 80% Extraction version is on the right.

 

4) Bake the loaf until the top is browned and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes. (If the bread starts browning too much before it’s fully baked, you can tent it with a piece of aluminum foil.)

 

5) Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Again, the whole grain loaf is on the left and the loaf made with 80% extraction flour is on the right.

 

6) Slice and Enjoy!  This is the loaf that is made with 80% Extraction Einkorn Flour.

 

This loaf is made with 100% Whole Grain Einkorn Flour.  Although this loaf didn’t rise quite as high as the first loaf, it seemed to hold up better when I sliced it.

 

All said, I enjoyed both loaves immensely and I didn’t feel guilty about eating a slice for breakfast several days in a row.  Although next time I might add a bit more spice.  I think that Pumpkin Gingerbread flavor spoiled me!

 

 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy