Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Bread

When there is a way to make food that tastes too good to be true without butter, or oil, why wouldn't you make it in as many different ways as you possibly can?! And if you are thinking right now "Is pumpkin in season?" my only response is: "When ISN'T pumpkin in season!!!??"

If you have read a few of my other posts you know that I am stretching my wallet as far as possible. In doing this I stumbled upon a yogurt that, even with as much effort as I could bring to, was impossible to sit and eat plain. Oh the agony, the defeat, the terrible terrible moment because I actually believed it was agood idea to try a huge spoonful. Nasty. Just stop it. But hold on... this isn't about spitting yogurt into the sink, keep reading.

I took that yogurt and I baked it into bread. Amazing bread. Bread that will make you scream out the window

"I AM AMAZING! I LOVE FOOD! BE JEALOUS!" 

Bread that will turn you into a sneaky eater as you hide under the counter while you eat another slice, shamelessly... Bread that will make you light a candle that smells so good and not like bread so that it will hide the fact you baked and no one will wonder what happened (so long as the dishes are done in a timely manner and you wipe that grin off your face).

Bread that gives you the hope that during Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or Easter, or just a day that you needed some damn pumpkin pie... that maybe you don't have to eat 4 slices of it only to spend the rest of the night crying because you just wanted to stay fit and healthy and you went and ate a pie... with whipped cream... and if you have food around like me from a serious addiction to cooking and baking (or if is IS a holiday) you know you also had some cheesecake, and pumpkin roll, and ice cream, and should I even start on the stuffing and gravy?

Bread that gives you a light to look into - a light that says "join me and let's make some low fat food that will trick even the most unhealthy eaters."

So I'm thankful for the ability to cook. I'm happy that the new year is here. And what the hey... here is my recipe to share:

Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Bread

What You Need:

1 1/2 cups Flour

1 1/3 cups Sugar

1 cup Pumpkin Puree

1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice + 1/4 tsp for glaze

2 tsp Baking Soda (I like the reduced sodium aluminum free)

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Plain Yogurt

1 cup Powdered Sugar*

*you may need more depending on the desired glaze consistency

To Start:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease and flour a 9X5 bread baking dish. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Why? The parchment paper is wonderful for breads and cakes to stop the bottom from sticking. We've all had those moments when the sides came clean, we got excited, and then we served puzzle cake. Fun for laughs from everyone who didn't just spend their day in the kitchen, but you and I both know it hurts. It hurst so much inside when your bread or cake - or anything really that you worked on - falls apart, sticks to the pan, and crumbles...

so very sad.

Well stop thinking about all those failed recipes and get started!

In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup of the sugar, the 3 eggs, the pumpkin, the pumpkin pie spice, and the vanilla. Slowly add in the flour and baking powder. You can sift the flour and baking powder for a smoother lighter bread, but it's not going to be the end of the world if you do not have a sifter. It is nice, however, to invest in one. They do wonderful things for baking.

Of course with a baby crawling around and making music in the kitchen with pots and pans while I bake dup this magical bread I didn't feel like sifting my flour. And my bread was just fine.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 60 minutes (which is also known as 1 hour).

Meanwhile, as the bread is baking add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar to a small saucepan with 1/3 cup of water, 1 tsp lemon or orange juice, and 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.

Either way, heat the citrus juice and sugar mixture, stirring, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once the cake is done baking, remove the pan from the oven but leave the bread in the baking dish. Pour the simple syrup you made over the bread, using a slow drizzle and a knife or spatula to pull the bread sides from the pan to allow the syrup to drip down into the bread. This my friends is the amazing part because that bread - having sat in a hot oven for an hour - is thirsty. And it's going to suck up that syrup and make the bread extra moist and soft...  Yes. Yes indeed.

Once cooled, remove the bread from the pan. Easiest way - Flip our onto a pan and then flip it back over with a second pan/ plate. if you need to be sure to peel the parchment paper off, though it most likely stuck to the baking dish.

And now for the final touch! Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and half and half. I start with a tiny amount of the cream and if needed add more. Once you start stirring you will see that a drop of liquid in the sugar instantly starts to make glaze.

Drizzle the glaze over the bread and enjoy! I am not joking when I say this bread is moist, and amazing, and fabulous, and insert all the adjectives you can think of that are positive and make your friends jealous here: ____________.

I encourage storing the bread in the fridge to keep it cool and moist.

I hope you make this. I hope you try it and love it. But if not, thanks for stopping by :)

Aimee and family