October 27, 2010 (Updated April 29, 2020)

Fresh Cranberry and Walnut Pumpkin Bread

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

36 comments
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One bite into this cranberry & walnut pumpkin bread and you will swoon.

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A crisp, slightly sweet crust, crunchy walnuts, and hot, fresh cranberries that explode in your mouth as you bite into them.

Oh, and pumpkin. Yes please.

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Did I mention that this pumpkin bread is 100% whole wheat?

Nothing but the best for you, friends.

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Fresh Cranberry and Walnut Pumpkin Bread

 

Ingredients:

(makes 1 loaf; about 12 slices)

Dry:

  • 1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour (NOT regular whole wheat flour)
  • 1 C oats
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/3 C ground flaxseed
  • 1/3 C walnuts (optional)
  • 1.5 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. baking soda

Wet:

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Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. In two large separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is uniform-ish.

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Spoon the mixture into a non-stick or cooking sprayed bread pan — mine is 9×5. (You can also turn this into muffins by using a muffin tin instead — just bake 25 minutes).

Sprinkle some oats and about a teaspoon of brown sugar on top to make a nice crunchy crust 🙂

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Pop the bread the oven for an hour — fork check to make sure it’s done.

And voila!

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Cool bread on a wire rack while taking glamour shots 😉

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And then… dig in!

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Fresh Cranberry and Walnut Pumpkin Bread

cranberry walnut pumpkin bread
May 5, 2019 by Anne

This autumn-inspired pumpkin bread is lightly sweet and nutty, with tart and juicy cranberries studded throughout.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield
makes 1 loaf; about 12 slices
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Ingredients:

Dry

  • 1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour (NOT regular whole wheat flour)
  • 1 C oats
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/3 C ground flaxseed
  • 1/3 C walnuts (optional)
  • 1.5 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. baking soda

Wet

  • 1 C canned pureed pumpkin
  • 1 C fresh cranberries (leftover from my Cranberry Caramel Date Bars!)
  • 3/4 C whole milk (or dairy substitute)
  • 1/4 C applesauce
  • 1 egg (or 1 vegan flax egg)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. In two large separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is uniform-ish.
  2. Spoon the mixture into a non-stick or cooking sprayed bread pan — mine is 9x5. (You can also turn this into muffins by using a muffin tin instead — just bake 25 minutes).
  3. Sprinkle some oats and about a teaspoon of brown sugar on top to make a nice crunchy crust 🙂
  4. Pop the bread the oven for an hour — fork check to make sure it’s done.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Happy Wednesday 🙂

No more procrastinating — I‘ve got to get back to work! I’m writing a paper for my Maternal and Children’s Health class about whether television viewing increases the risk of childhood obesity. So far, based on the studies I’ve found, it looks like — yes, it does! But for reasons you might not think — television watching doesn’t seem to be linked to the amount of physical activity a child gets — but it DOES seem to lead to increased food consumption (while watching TV). Interesting!

Vegetarian Quickbreads
- anne

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36 comments
  • Jessica @ How Sweet
    Guess I should turn off the TV while I'm snacking mindlessly on these tortilla chips... :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Haha trueeee! It also seems that paper writing = bored = increased food consumption ;)
      Reply
      • KatherineC
        That is SO true. I seem to crave piles of junk when I'm studying!
        Reply
  • Katy
    This looks amazing! I'm thinking about making it for Thanksgiving. :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      This would be perfect for Thanksgiving :)
      Reply
  • Alina @ Duty Free Foodie
    I snack mindlessly while watching TV all the time! Or at least I do on those rare occasions that snack foods are in the house. The worst part is, you barely taste the food!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      I know - exactly! The study I just read showed that kids only ate when the TV show had their attention, too - aka definitely mindless eating - in the control scenario where the kids where watching a 1.5 minute identical clip over and over - they stopped eating way sooner.
      Reply
  • Alayna @ Thyme Bombe
    Hey Anne, this is my first time commenting on your blog! I saw this gorgeous loaf and knew it was time to chime in. It looks insane, and I'm making it as soon as I have the chance!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Thanks for saying hello! :) I hope you love the bread!
      Reply
  • Marci
    Yum looks delish! Coming out of my oven tomorrow I think. I make cran pumpkin bars each Thanksgiving and this looks like it in loaf form. Can't wait to try!
    Reply
  • Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun
    That is interesting about the TV viewing and childhood obesity. I admit that I let my 2 year old have her afternoon snack with her 30 mins of TV I allow her to watch a day. It's always portioned out and she doesn't get more, but I wonder if the eating with TV is a habit I should go ahead and stop. Hmmm???
    Reply
    • Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun
      ETA: I don't think her eating with TV will make her obese because she still has healthy items (like fruit, cheese, whole wheat crackers, etc), but still don't want to promote any habits that would become unhealthier as she gets older. And when she has more freedom to choose her snacks. Although I hear by that age they can be so busy with activities there is no TV time. LOL
      Reply
      • Anne P
        I'd probably recommend giving her a snack and TV time separately - even if it's healthy, creating an association that TV = food could be bad for later when less healthy snacks are available to her!
        Reply
  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    I truly love eating homemade quick breads right out of the oven!! With a warm smear of butter of course ;)
    Reply
  • Lisa (bakebikeblog)
    How delighftul!!! I dont think something like that would last long in our house!!!
    Reply
  • Martha @simplyformylife
    Hey! I'm not a child but I haven't had television in my house for over a year and the freedom from the advertising has definitiely played a role in my weightloss as well as my grocery bill! All those commercials for new treats and desserts are more effective than some may think, especially on the plyable minds of our little ones! Just some "Food for thought", and maybe something you want to look into for your assignment! Good luck!
    Reply
  • Heather C
    Of course this is posted the day *after* I make your other pumpkin bread/muffin recipe... luckily I still have a can waiting to be baked with ;) That bread is HOTT, lookin' good for her photo shoot!
    Reply
  • Heather C
    Oh! P.S. for the paper - TV watching is also associated with increased commercial viewing (junk food, sodas, candy, sugary cereal) :) Just another thing to keep in mind!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      True story! I'm touching on that as well :)
      Reply
  • Renie
    Your description of the Cranberry Walnut Pumpkin Bread makes me swoon. I can't believe there is no butter or oil. Good job - can't wait for me and the twins to make this creation.
    Reply
  • Renie
    P.S. All parents have to do is say no to TV and ration it. Whose the boss anyway??
    Reply
  • Allison
    Power to the procrastinators! I'm sipping wine and reading blogs when I should be working on a case study... whoops. Food for thought on childhood obesity/tv viewing...do you think it also has to do with the amount of food advertising aimed at kids? We were talking about that in class the other day and I had never thought about it.. but there are SO many commercials for snacks and junk food aimed directly at kids. It's crazy the amount of money these companies spend on advertising just to reach the 6-12 yr old population. I'm not necessarily sure that that would be a main factor but I'm sure it influences what kids want to eat and what they think is "normal". I mean, imagine if fruits and vegetables were advertised that heavily... have you EVER even seen a commercial for a banana? I haven't but I'd imagine it'd be pretty hilarious.... heh.. I'm cracking myself up over here. ok, right, that case study...
    Reply
    • Anne P
      A bunch of the studies I've found have talked about this, actually! That's the other reason it seems TV is related to obesity - because kids are not only eating more, but replacing fruits & veggies with more junky food and fast food advertised on TV! We totally need to do a PR campaign for fruits and veggies, haha.
      Reply
  • DHP
    I am swooning over your latest creation! And just cut the cable TV connection! Didn't you go a year or two without one? :-)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      I did - 2 years! Now that I have one again, I still don't watch it all that much, but it's nice to have the option, especially when I'm home alone :)
      Reply
  • Kristy
    I miss the kitchen. There I said it :-( I have no time since I started school and there is nothing more comforting than having something like this devin bread in the freezer for a cold morning, not that we have been seening much cold latly! This weekend might allow for me to take out my baking frustration on our kitchen!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      I miss it too - I haven't had time to bake much this semester, either! Too busy!
      Reply
  • Danny
    This bread looks really delicious, I'll have to give this recipe a try!
    Reply
  • Kori
    Why do you suggest to NOT use regular whole wheat flour? How much difference would there be if it was used?
    Reply
    • Anne P
      It will be pretty tough/dense if you use whole wheat flour. Pastry flour is a lot fluffier and lighter - creates a nicer texture!
      Reply
  • Tracy
    This bread is great! I reviewed earlier comments quickly and did not see review of the finished product by others, so I just thought I would make the addition. I like trying to include flax seed in baked products - when I searched "pumpkin flax bread" online, your recipe was one of the first that I viewed. I used pumpkin that I baked and pureed myself (it was one of the pink pumpkins sold by many stores this year during October for Breast Cancer funding - the flesh of this pumpkin type is a beautiful color and sweet). Also used homemade applesauce made with Gala apples. I baked the bread for an hour and checked it, and in my case, wound up leaving it in the oven for an extra 15 minutes for it to pass the clean knife test. The bread is a perfect dense yet moist texture. I followed all ingredients in the recipe, including addition of walnuts. I think pecans might work well as an alternative. Overall, I consider this bread a success - thank for posting it.
    Reply
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