Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread

It’s here! It’s finally here! My very own copy of the Joy The Baker cookbook!

Let me take a minute first to appreciate Joy Wilson. I don’t remember when I got hooked on Joy’s blog, Joy The Baker. A while ago. It was the lovely photography, mouth watering recipes, and maybe a little bit of kinship in that we both have Joy in our names. I also am majorly addicted to Joy and Shutterbean’s podcast on Homefries. I look forward to it weekly and it always makes my day.

When Joy announced she was coming out with a cookbook I was so excited. I picked up my copy this weekend I was floored. I want to make every recipe in this thing! You don’t understand, this is a big deal. I have a zillion cookbooks and have made, or only wanted to make, a few select recipes from each. But as I leafed through Joy’s cookbook in my car in the Barnes & Noble parking lot, my eyes grew wide and mind began racing. Every. Single. Recipe. Is. Amazing. I can’t wait to make them all and share the awesomeness, creativity, and passion that is Joy with you. So, here we go with Joy’s Vegan Pumpkin Bread!

Joy The Baker’s Vegan Pumpkin Nut Bread
(I made a few swaps where noted. Yields two loaves.)
3.5 cups AP flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (I use King Arthur’s Vietnamese cinnamon)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup + 1 tbsp. walnuts (Joy’s recipe calls for pecans but I didn’t have any)
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup mix of agave syrup and molasses (Joy’s recipe calls for maple syrup which I didn’t have so I improvised with these two ingredients)

Create a Wet Bowl and a Dry Bowl (mix wet ingredients together and dry ingredients together in separate bowls) to start.

When they are all mixed up, combine them together.

The final step is to slowly mix in the nuts.

Grease up two loaf pans, evenly split the batter between them, garnish with one tablespoon of walnuts, and bake. Joy’s recipe says to bake on 350 for an hour or so. Since everyone’s ovens are different, and because I can burn a loaf easily, I kept and eye on mine and adjusted. I ended up baking the bread on 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then turned the heat down to 300 degrees and baked for another 15-20 minutes. I have a brand new gas stove and the thing gets hot.

Poke the loaves with a skewer to make sure the inside is fully cooked. When the loaves are done, cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

My first Joy The Baker cookbook recipe was a success! This bread is dense with flavor but super moist. It’s not overly sweet at all. It’s just perfect! We’re nibbling on one loaf and I wrapped the other loaf up tight and put it in the freezer for a rainy day.

One more gush: It just so happens (by many random twists of fate) that I think we’ll be in the NY/NJ area on the weekend that Joy’s Book Tour will be in NYC. Eeee! I’ll keep you posted!!