High Protein Pumpkin Lentil Bread (Vegan, Grain-Free, Oil-Free))

5 from 5 votes

High Protein Pumpkin Lentil Bread (Vegan, Grain-Free, Oil-Free))

Learn how to make high protein pumpkin lentil bread, without any flour! Lightly sweet, tender, and filling, it is grain-free, gluten-free, oil-free, and high in fiber.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Additional Time45

Total Time1 25

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy grain-free bread, easy high protein bread, grain free oil-free pumpkin bread, grain-free gluten-free bread, Grain-free vegan pumpkin bread, healthy vegan pumpkin bread, high protein bread without protein powder, high protein vegan bread, lentil bread, no oil high protein gluten free bread, pumpkin bread, wfpb bread

Servings: slices (1 loaf)

Author: Camilla

Equipment

Ingredients

12 oz split red lentils uncooked (see notes for alternatives)
Boiling water for soaking
2/3 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée
1/2 cup coconut sugar (see notes for alternatives)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or light-colored vinegar)
1/2 cup whole psyllium husks (see notes regarding psyllium powder)
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see notes for making your own blend)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional: Add-ins, such as chocolate chips, dried fruit and vanilla (see notes)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place the lentils in a large bowl. Cover with enough boiling water to cover the lentils with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Let soak for at least 45 minutes until the lentils are plump and almost twice their size (see notes for soaking in cold water overnight).
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drain the lentils through a colander or fine mesh sieve. Discard the soaking water.
Place the drained, soaked lentils, pumpkin purée, coconut sugar, lemon juice, pumpkin pie spice and salt in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Cover and process, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until smooth.
Add the psyllium husks and baking soda to the pumpkin-lentil mixture. Cover and process, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until just blended into a soft dough.
Gather the pumpkin lentil bread dough into a ball. With damp hands, roughly shape the dough into a log. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Shape and flatten the log into a loaf measuring about 9 inches (22.5 cm) long, 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 2 inches (5 cm) high.
Bake the lentil pumpkin bread in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes until the loaf is puffed and risen. The surface of the bread will appear dry, with a deep orange-brown color.
Transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Note: Toggle the button between METRIC and US Customary to get ingredient measurements by grams and mL instead of volume.

Storage: Store the cooled pumpkin lentil bread in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 1 day, the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Lentil Weight Tip: 12 ounces/ 340 grams of dried (uncooked) lentils is about 1.75 cups.

DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice: To make 2.5 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, combine 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon allspice (or cardamom) and 1/4 teaspoon cloves.

Different Lentil Varieties: Common tan/light green lentils can be used in place of the split red lentils. I have not tested with other lentil varieties (such as black lentils), but theoretically, they should work.

Loaf instead of Rolls: See post for direction on making rolls instead of a single loaf.

Overnight Soak Option: If you prefer, soak the lentils in cold or room temperature water for 8 to 12 hours or until plump and nearly double their size.

Coconut Sugar Alternatives: substitute an equal amount of brown sugar or granulated cane sugar.

Psyllium Husks Tip: I have not tested this bread with psyllium powder, but theoretically it should work. Be sure to use an equal weight of psyllium powder to replace the whole psyllium husks (not volume). One tablespoon of whole psyllium husks (5 grams) = One teaspoon psyllium powder (5 grams).

Add-In Suggestions: Customize your loaf, or rolls, with one or more of these add-ins

Extracts or Zests: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the bread dough, and/or add one to two teaspoons of finely grated orange zest.
Dried Fruit: Add between 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chopped dried fruit, such as dried cranberries, dried blueberries, raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, prunes, or dried figs.
Chocolate: Add between 1/2 cup to 1 cup of your favorite dark chocolate chips or chunks.
Nuts or Seeds: Add between 1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped nuts or seeds, such as walnuts, pecans, peanuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds. Alternatively, sprinkle a few nuts or seeds on top of the loaf, or rolls, before baking.

Nutrition