Regular readers of this blog would surely by now know my love for breads. Its amazing how breads can be made with almost anything and everything! With Pumpkins everywhere, it is inevitable that I would try a bread made with some. I had made some home-made Pumpkin Puree and the first thing I did was to use some for this bread.

Taste Test The variety for making Pumpkin breads are myriad and this time I used a recipe from Simply Recipes. I adapted the recipe to adjust the availability of the ingredients and also to make it low fat and tad bit healthier. I used some Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (plain salt seasoning) instead of the walnuts. I think 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds turned out to be a bit too much for this bread. It results in mild crunch and then sort of becomes chewy. I ended up chewing the seeds more than the bread itself!!!!! Hence I think it would be a great idea to use either v few pumpkin seeds if at all or use Pecans/walnuts instead. I think Pumpkin seeds don't always work in baked goods. One user had the same complaint when using Alton Brown's recipe (see the one with the heading "excellent!.. all except the pumpkin seeds.. maybe not toasted enough?"). I know mine were toasted v well - they were v crunchy on their own - but somehow just didn't work that well with the bread. Everyone else in that thread also seemed to not use the seeds for some reason or the other. But the bread by itself was fantastic and slightly on the sweeter side. Its bit chewy with beautiful texture thanks to the addition of wheat bran. Use of Egg whites instead of whole eggs - enhances nutrition without adding any fat. It also contributes to the moistness of the bread along with healthy Canola Oil. The spices add a wonderful aroma and flavor to the bread. I would definitely make this bread again, but of course without the pumpkin seeds and use walnuts/pecans instead :) **UPDATE** Two readers of mine told me exactly what could have gone wrong with the pumpkin seeds. Bergamot and Chana (via e-mail) told me the seeds could not have worked cos they were unhulled. Only then, that it stuck me that I was using fresh pumpkin seeds (with the cover intact which makes it chewy) which are not hulled. The seeds which you normally get from the shops are hulled and in green color which will work v well for this recipe. Just remember not to use fresh ones. They are excellent as snacks but don't work well in baked goods. Thanks to them for pointing this out to me :)