I made this bread two days ago without the intention of sharing it. I had a few over-ripe bananas and an open can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge, beckoning to be made into something. Pumpkin bread seemed like the obvious choice, albeit not very original. But, Google tells me that the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere will be at precisely 4:22 pm today, so I feel like this bread is worth sharing to mark the occasion.

I mean, how can I not toast the beginning of fall with something pumpkin-related? Call me basic, but I proudly love pumpkin. However, I am not a fan of most of the pumpkin nonsense overwhelming grocery stores and restaurants right now. Most of these products are cloyingly sweet and “pumpkin-flavored,” having little to do with the actual vegetable.

If I make pumpkin anything, you better believe it contains a healthy amount of pumpkin. This bread offers just the right amount of sweetness, while allowing the pumpkin flavor to shine. It relies on the bananas and coconut sugar for sweetness. I also added molasses and plenty of warm spices to complement the pumpkin and intensify the autumnal flavors.

A quick note about spelt flour: spelt flour is my preferred baking flour – particularly sprouted spelt flour. Spelt has a pleasant nutty and sweet flavor, and is light in texture, producing a lovely delicate crumb in baked goods. It does contain gluten, but is more easily digested than wheat flour and can be tolerated by some people with gluten sensitivities. It is also higher in certain nutrients than wheat flour, including copper, iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus. Sprouted spelt flour takes the nutrition one step further by activating dormant vitamins and minerals in the grains and breaking down the grains’ protective shell through the germination process, rendering it more nutritious and digestible. I love this sprouted spelt flour.

The spelt flour is delicious in this bread. I combined it with a little almond flour for extra richness and nuttiness. You could substitute more spelt flour for the almond flour if you don’t have any on hand. This bread that began as an afterthought to use up my bananas and pumpkin ended up being extremely delicious. It is light, moist and not overly sweet, making it the perfect breakfast, snack or dessert. It is especially delicious topped with coconut yogurt and drizzled in almond butter.

I hope you enjoy this bread. Oh, and happy fall! xx