pumpkin chai loaf

I just typed “pumpkin chai love.”

It’s that time of year, folks. When they put a huge stack of Libby’s cans on display at grocery stores all over America. And you try to grab two of them at opposite corners so as not to throw off the symmetry of the display.

No? I’m the only person who thinks that way? Got it.

Have you ever noticed that pumpkin itself basically tastes like nothing? It’s not a squash (?) that I’m particularly excited about. I’d probably pick a butternut or a spaghetti.

It’s those fall FLAVORS that we’re craving. Pumpkin is just the vehicle. This has all of your usual pumpkin pie spices but then also a couple of extra ones that take it from PIE to CHAI.

See what I did there?

This recipe is blatantly stolen from How Sweet It Is, like pretty much everything else I make. But instead of muffins, I made it a loaf. You see, it’s easier to justify my serving sizes in a loaf. A few (7) thin slivers as I’m standing over the pan? That’s one slice. One single serving.

If you eat multiple muffins, though, that’s not cool.

Also, this bread recipe is miraculous because it has no butter, and only 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. All of the moisture comes from the pumpkin itself. And if you want to make it more of a breakfast bread than a dessert bread, you can leave out the crumble. I did that the second time I made it (which was 3 days after the first time I made it) and it was still swell.

Pumpkin Chai Loaf

barely adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs melted coconut oil

2/3 cup almond milk

for the crumble

1 stick softened, unsalted butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Combine all of the dry ingredients, which includes the brown sugar. I broke out my grandma’s sifter for this job, because there are so many spices that I wanted to make sure everything was evenly distributed. Nothing like getting a bite that has all of the ginger in it. That’ll clear your sinuses.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, milk, and melted coconut oil and stir to combine.

Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Over mixing is the death of quick breads.

Grease a loaf pan- I used coconut oil for this but any nonstick cooking spray or oil will work. Pour half of the batter into the pan, then add a layer of the crumble mixture. Pour the rest of the batter over the top, then add more crumble.

Bake at 325 degrees for an hour. Let it cool, and then serve!

If you bring this to work on a random Tuesday, I can give you a #spillthebeans guarantee that you’ll be employee of the month. I work from home, by myself, so I’m always employee of the month.