Delicious pumpkin craisin pecan bread cooling on a rack.

Last Christmas morning, I did not bake ahead, and I deeply regretted it. Bleary eyed at 6:00 a.m., waiting for the coffeemaker to finish, and smiling as the kids ripped open their gifts under the tree, I wondered what I could rustle up for breakfast without too much work.

I ended up laboring at the stovetop making pancakes, sipping coffee while the kids asked continuously when breakfast would be ready. The Cracker Barrel pancake mix we received as a gift was wonderful, but making it Christmas morning is not that much fun for the cook!

This year, I’m making several different breakfast breads that are lower in fat but still fabulous in the taste department, and freezing them until the day before I need to use them. That way, on Christmas morning, we can just toast some slices of the pumpkin bread for breakfast, and serve it with hot cocoa for the kids, and coffee for the adults!

I happened to have several cans of Pumpkin Puree left from last month, when I thought I was going to make a few pumpkin baked goods and ended up not having time! Googling around, I found a pumpkin bread recipe that lightened up on the fat, and decided to give it a try.

Of course, I wanted to put my own twist on it. I love Craisins and Pecans, and so I added 1/2 cup of each to the mix. You can either toast the pecans or just use regular pecans (if you don’t have the time to toast the nuts). I also used Fage fat-free Greek plain yogurt instead of low-fat yogurt.

For those of you who love to eat breakfast bread, this pumpkin craisin pecan bread is absolutely delightful. Whether you pair this bread with a cup of coffee or hot tea on Christmas morning, you’ll enjoy it to the last crumb! Merry Christmas!