Fall is here and it's time to get the oven going and the house smelling like autumn. No better way to bring in the fall than with a nice loaf of pumpkin bread wafting through the air. This recipe is adapted from my Banana Tea Bread. It's a very simple recipe and worked well here using a can of pumpkin puree instead of just the standard 1 cup. I tried using the whole can because I hate to waste or have to use up the rest of the puree. I figured if I use almost 2 cups of banana in my banana tea bread recipe, I can use 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree here and add a little extra liquid in the form of water or maple syrup. By all means if you feel this is too much and you're going to ruin a loaf, than stick with the 1 cup puree instead and omit the water/maple syrup. But you can see here that it worked, baking up beautifully without sinking in the center like you might expect. It came out moist and perfectly dense with a nice soft crumb. There is no need for butters or egg substitutes in this recipe either...just simple ingredients from your pantry that come together easily and beautifully. And believe me, it tastes just as good as it smells while baking!

The flour of choice in this recipe is spelt. It's a wonderful flour that when used in baked goods, cooks up tender and soft. I use it as my flour of choice when not baking gluten free. Use it in cookies, pancakes, breads, cakes, waffles and muffins...anywhere flour is called for.

I've made this loaf using less oil, anywhere from  2 - 4 tablespoons, while substituting the remaining amount called for with almond milk/water...turned out fabulous while cutting some fat out of the recipe.

For the spices, I used the pumpkin pie spice mix plus some extra cinnamon. I like all the flavors. If using the individual spices adjust the measurement up to suit your taste. Use less spice if you want to taste more of the pumpkin. Remember to always start with the smaller amount and work your way up. You cannot take away but you can always add.

Since there are no flaxeggs here, if you wish you can add two flaxeggs in place of the water + add 3 extra tablespoons water or you can simply add two tablespoons of flaxseed meal to the batter with the dry ingredients. Ground flax seeds have great nutritional benefits and can be added to boost the nutritional profile of this recipe. If you have some on hand, go for it!

Adjust the sugar up a little if you like it a bit sweeter. Because this batter is on the thicker side, you can also add in up to 1/4 cup, or replace dry sugar with, warmed or room temp pure maple syrup. Chilled maple syrup needs to be warmed or it will clump up the coconut oil.

Add chopped pepitas, walnuts or whole sesame seeds or oats to the top for added texture and visual appeal. I've also lightly sprinkled the top with raw sugar before baking (this is my daughters preferred topping).