Low Calorie Pumpkin Bread

Since I've been eating healthier I've had a few days where I really miss baked goods.  The other day Keira asked for Pumpkin bread so I decided to go on a search for a lower calorie version.  Many recipes replace the oil with applesauce but since Keira is allergic to apples this wasn't an option for me.  I finally found this recipe over at Dame Good Eats.  It was okay but I wanted to see if I could reduce the calories even more (I was aiming for 100 calories per slice).  This comes close with only 117 calories per slice (compared to the 384 in a "normal" slice).

Here is what I did:
Low-Calorie Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 TB ground flax seed in 3T warm water**
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).



Place the ground Flax seed in the water and allow to "bloom" for 10 minutes

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice into a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and butter until well blended. Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

**I had seen soaked flax seed used as a substitute for egg in other recipes but had never tried it myself.  I was very pleased with the results and will definitely be using it again. These measurements are to replace 1 egg.

The Verdict:
This bread may be low in calories but definitely not in taste!   It is moist and delicious.  My kids all love it!  I doubled the recipe to make 2 loaves since I knew 1 wouldn't last.  The second loaf is already almost gone and was the first thing they asked for as a snack after school.  Keira has already asked when we can make some more.  Enjoy!