Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate and Spiced Crumble Topping

It is that time of year! Pumpkin everything!

With Halloween over, now we can get ready for the best meal of the year, Thanksgiving!! I'm convinced that it is ok to eat pumpkin anything and everything through Thanksgiving, because that is when we celebrate eating pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, or any pumpkin-themed food we can.

I am a sucker for quick breads! They are easy to make, and are perfect for breakfast-time, because it is basically the bread form of a muffin. It is also a great way to showcase seasonal produce. (Side note: One of my favorite seasonal quick breads is zucchini bread. "Pin" that one for a summer recipe!) This one really showcases the great fall flavor of pumpkin, and the warm spices that compliment it like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, to name a few. You can leave out the chocolate, but I think it makes the pumpkin flavor really stand out. I recommend using dark chocolate, because it adds a nice rich flavor, without being overly sweet.

This recipe makes two medium size loafs, so you can make one for yourself, and bring one to work, or take to a friend! It also makes for a great hostess gift idea.

Tips for perfect Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate and Spiced Crumble Topping

*Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature before starting.

*Don't overmix!

*The batter will be thick, don't worry...

*If you don't have pumpkin pie spice around, you can simply use cinnamon in its place.

*You can also use ALL whole-wheat flour or ALL unbleached all-purpose flour, or half and half. All whole-wheat will make for more of a dense final product, but still tasty! I like doing half and half, because I love the nutty flavor of the whole-wheat, and the lightness of the all-purpose.

Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate and Spiced Crumble Topping

Author:

Maria Provenzano

Serves:

2 loaves

This makes two medium sized loafs. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice around, you can simply use cinnamon in its place. You can also use ALL whole-wheat flour or ALL unbleached all-purpose flour, or half and half. All whole-wheat will make for more of a dense final product, but still tasty! I like doing half and half, because I love the nutty flavor of the whole-wheat and the lightness of the all-purpose.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (if you don't want to use whole wheat you can use entirely all-purpose)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup melted butter; cooled
2 eggs; room temperature
½ cup sour cream; room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cup chocolate; chopped if using a bar of chocolate or you can use chocolate chips
Topping
½ cup butter; melted and cooled
½ cup oats
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
*In a large bowl combine the flours, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar into a bowl
*In another bowl combine the pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla, butter, and eggs
*Stir the sour cream mixture and the melted/cooled butter into the flour mixture
*Stir until just combined
*Fold in the cooled chopped chocolate
*Spray the two loaf pans with a good amount of cooking spray
*Pour half of the mixture into each pan
*In a small bowl get the crumble ready by combing the oats, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and flour together
*Stir with a fork and gradually pour in the melted butter
*Distribute the crumble evenly over the top of each loaf
*Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted
*Allow to cool for about 10 minutes or so before taking it out of the pan