Dr. Igor’s Vegan Pumpkin Banana Hemp Bread Recipe

Vegan Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread made with Overripe Bananas, Hemp Flour & Hearts & Pecan Pieces flavored with Maple Syrup, Orange Zest & Warm Spices

DAIRY-FREE/OVO-PESCATARIAN/PLANT BASED/VEGAN/VEGETARIAN

Vegan Pumpkin Banana Hemp Bread

Perfume your house by baking this easy to make fall inspired bread that is made with all plant ingredients. Hemp adds a boost of protein, omega fatty acids and essential amino acids, pecans provide a nice crunchy texture, and the pumpkin and banana purees add moisture to offset the fiber rich whole wheat flour. Snack on this guilt-free recipe next time you want to sink your teeth into something sweet!

Egg replacer, which is made from potato and tapioca starches, is used in place of fresh eggs to make this recipe vegan friendly. You can purchase this product online or at most whole food, vegan and organic stores and it acts just the same as eggs do for baked goods, as a binder for a perfectly baked loaf. If you can’t find this product, use ground flax seeds to create what is called a “flax egg.” (Recipe: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2 tablespoons water, then let it stand for 10 minutes until it’s thickened).

Ingredients

WET

• ½ cup of vegan butter, softened
• ⅔ cup of brown coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 egg replacer eggs or flax egg, see instructions on package
• 1 cup of canned unsweetened pumpkin purée
• 1 cup (about 2 large) overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DRY

• 1-¼ cup of whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup of hemp flour
• 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of orange zest

Steps

1.) Preheat an oven to 350F and gather all your ingredients. Below are some of the products I used.

2.) Mash the bananas in a small bowl, and mix it with all the other wet ingredients and whisk everything together.

3.) Combine all the dry ingredients into another big bowl. Whisk everything together until uniform.

4.) Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, transfer the batter into a greased loaf tin or silicone mold and use a spatula to even out the top.

5.) Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 1 hour or until a toothpick or skewer is inserted and comes out clean. You may need an additional 5-15 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. Keep checking after the first 55-60 minutes. Remove from the oven once the pumpkin banana bread is done, cool in the pan for 15 minutes before serving. 

6.) Carefully remove the bread from the loaf pan, slice and serve with more vegan butter!

Tips

• Storing: Make sure to cool completely before transferring this into an airtight container. This keeps it safe to eat for up to 9 days in the fridge or 5 days on the counter. There’s a lot of moisture in this recipe so make sure to check for any mold after the 5th day if left outside.
• The cooler the bread is, the easier it is to slice. If you decide to wait an hour or more before you eat this, microwave it in the oven for 10 seconds before serving so it feels as if it just came out of a hot oven.
• It is important mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately to avoid overmixing the batter or uneven distribution of ingredients. (Over mixing the batter makes the bread too tough)

Q&A

• Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter? Yes! Coconut oil is a healthier alternative anyway so go ahead. I use vegan butter because it makes the bread so, dare I say, buttery.
• Can I substitute a different type of sugar in place of the brown coconut sugar? Why not? Use whatever you have on hand. I use coconut sugar because it has a lower glycemic index than its counterparts.
• I don’t have pecans at the moment, can I use something else? Walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or a combination of any of these work well with the flavors in this recipe as well.