As it was, this pumpkin walnut bread was the best I had ever tasted, but it's in my nature to tweak recipes, no matter how good. In this case, I replaced the white flour with whole wheat pastry flour, which turned out to be just as moist as the original. The raw sugar on top adds a crackly crunch. This pumpkin walnut bread comes together easily and freezes beautifully when double-wrapped in plastic and placed inside a freezer bag.
Author: Spoon With Me/Adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet
) Preheat the oven to 350˚F and place an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly coat a 9 x5-inch loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper.
) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and salt until throughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Add the sugar and whisk until blended. Add the pumpkin puree, canola oil and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
) Add the pumpkin mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until well blended. Add ¾ cup of the walnuts and stir until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level the top. Scatter the raw sugar and remaining ¼ cup chopped walnuts over the top of the batter.
) Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the top crust is dark golden and firm, and a toothpick just barely comes out clean. Allow to cool for 25 minutes before cutting. Leftovers can be stored for 2 days at room temperature if wrapped in plastic, or up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
*All-purpose flour can be substituted for the whole wheat pastry flour.
Recipe by Spoon With Me at https://spoonwithme.com/whole-wheat-pumpkin-walnut-bread/