Pumpkin Bread - A fall favorite

I love pumpkin. A lot. Almost as much as I love my husband and bike. Every year when fall rolls around I bust out the pumpkin scones and the pumpkin pancakes, and pretty much anything else that can be pumpkin'ized.  And every year I say to myself, "self, if you love your husband and your bike year round, why not love pumpkin year round as well?".  Then winter rolls in and by spring my pumpkin love is long forgotten.  It's a sad, sad state of affairs.  Alas, this year, I swear to the Greatest of Pumpkins that I will not forget you.

My newest discovery is this tasty, tender gluten free pumpkin bread I discovered over here at Tasty Yummies.  For once in my life, I actually followed a recipe to the tee and low and behold it was spectacular.  The only alteration I made was to use chocolate chips and pecans, instead of ginger and walnuts (simply because I didn't have any ginger and dark chocolate chips are delicious), and I sprinkled the top with pumpkin seeds, for good measure.

I'm looking forward to eating this tasty bread year round, from here on out!


Updating to include actual recipe below (and a banana bread version) ...
INGREDIENTS

2 large eggs 
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pureed or canned pumpkin (mashed banana) 
1/4 cup milk 

250 grams of your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (1 1/2 – 2 cups depending on brand/type)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.

Sift the dry ingredients (flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder) together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In the large bowl of your stand mixer, beat the eggs and coconut sugar together until very well combined and fluffy. Approximately 3-5 minutes. Slowly while the mixer is running, pour the oil into the sugar and egg mixture, then add in the pumpkin, almond milk and vanilla, allow the mixture to mix another a minute or two until everything is well combined.

Then add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. A little at a time, while the mixer is running on a low-speed. Mix until well blended. Then fold the crystallized ginger and walnuts into the batter. Mix the remaining crystallized ginger and walnuts together and set aside.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the ginger and walnut mixture all over the top. Place on the center rack in the oven and back until the top is golden brown, about an hour. Make sure a cake tester or knife comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then gently turn the bread out of the pan (being careful not to knock all the nuts and ginger off) and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack.