With the cooler crisp fall air breezing through Texas now, I've been super inspired to do any and all things involving pumpkins lately. What better way to start your day than with a nice warm slice of pumpkin, spice, and cranberry whole wheat bread to go with your coffee or tea?

This wonderfully fall inspired bread would make the perfect addition to any breakfast plate, especially around the upcoming holidays! No one will be the wiser to the fact that this is actually a pretty healthy breakfast bread, and that's okay. Let them think they are indulging.

I lightened this pumpkin bread up by using apple sauce rather than any oils. I also made it a little more health conscious with the use of honey and agave nectar rather than the typical white or brown sugar that you'll find in most recipes out there.

I managed to get 14 decent slices of bread out of this one loaf. And, I've got to say... paired with half a cup of fat free greek yogurt and some fresh fruit, this was quite a filling little breakfast!

This isn't a super sweet bread either. It's a bread, not a cake, after all. I found that it's texture and flavor were perfect for me in the morning. Simple and subtle. I also loved the addition of the raw shelled pumpkin seeds on top. They really added to the bread; giving a nice little crunch to the otherwise rather moist pumpkin bread. By the way, I found my raw pumpkin seeds in the bulk section of my local grocery store.

Now, I made my own oat four for this bread by tossing about 1 3/4 c. old fashioned oats into a food processor for a minute or two, but you can buy oat flour in most places too.

This cooked bread freezes pretty well too. If you end up with leftovers, just do what I did; toss the slices into little individual baggies and then place those into a large freezer ziplock to remove and reheat as desired for a quick and easy grab-and-go breakfast treat!

Skinny Pumpkin & Cranberry Bread
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 14 • Size: 1 Slice • Calories: 227 • Fat: 4.7 g • Carb: 42.2 g • Fiber: 3.7 g • Protein: 6.4 g • Sugar: 20.5 g • Sodium: 201.9 mg

Ingredients:
Dry:
1 1/2 C. White Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 C. Oat Flour
1/2 C. Dried Unsweetened Cranberries
1/4 C. Ground Flaxseed
1 1/2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
2 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Wet:
1 Can (15 Oz.) Pumpkin Puree (Not pie filling!)
1 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 C. Honey
1/4 C. Agave Nectar
2 Whole Large Eggs
2 Large Egg Whites
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Topping:
1/2 C. Raw Pumpkin Seeds

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. and line a 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper. Give it a light coating of non-stick baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (except for the pumpkin seeds) together until well blended.

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate medium size bowl until combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top it off with the pumpkin seeds.

You may want to give them a little pat down into the batter to help them stick to the bread in it once cooked.

Place the pan into the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.

Once done, remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool slightly; about 5 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan carefully and set aside on a wire rack to continue cooling for another 10 minutes or so.

Slice the load up evenly into 14 pieces and serve!