Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

This is such a beautiful bread.

 I know, I know! It’s not fall anymore and therefore the craze for pumpkin is way,waaaaay over! Well spring had sprung, and then it decided to snow 10 inches in Saint Louis over this past weekend. So I decided pumpkin bread was the only solution! Ignore the seasons, just like nature, and make pumpkin bread while the snow falls! I recently bought some all-purpose gluten-free flour in hopes of creating something delicious for my gluten-free friends. I am a gluten-free flour novice and thought that an all-purpose baking blend was as good a choice of flours as any to start with. I am going to venture into others as soon as I use up this bag. Which certainly won’t be long with this recipe around!! I am usually counting every calorie like a miser counts his gold, (think: Scrooge hoarding his gold coins, that’s me, seriously), but I really wanted this bread have a good texture and wasn’t sure how my usual baking method (zero oil, sub greek yogurt) would work with the new flour. I used a bit of coconut oil and holy moly did it turn out great!! I hope you all try this and tell me what you think. Any tips/variations on flours would be helpful too. I would love to do more gluten-free/paleo baking. This may have been my first endeavour, but it certainly won’t be my last!

C and I, playing in the snow the day after it fell. It had already melted a ton!

Yield: 10 Servings, each 81 grams

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 165.6

Fat: 7.8 g

Sodium: 300 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 20.3 g

Fiber: 3.6 g

Sugars: 5.1 g

Protein: 4.9 g

 

Ingredients

¼ cup coconut oil

½ cup baking stevia

3 whole eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¼ cup canned pure pumpkin puree (Libby’s, always)

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

¾ cup water

4 Tb dry buttermilk

1 ¾ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bobs Red Mill brand)

1 ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ tsp kosher salt

Dry buttermilk is great way to add lightness to your baking recipes.

•  Preheat oven to 350°.

• Coat a loaf pan with coconut oil or non stick spray. I lined the bottom of my pan with parchment so it would come out easily. Worked like a charm.
• 

  I took this picture after adding the eggs. It was depressing not being able to actually cream sugar and butter, but hey, big calorie and health savings.

  In a large mixing bowl attempt to cream together your stevia and coconut oil. I say attempt because they don’t really cream like butter and sugar would. I used a whisk and did my best.

• Add in your 3 eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking.
• Add in the applesauce, pumpkin puree and water.
• In a medium mixing bowl stir together the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, dry buttermilk,cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
• 

  mix slowly until…

  

  voila! batter!

  Combine wet and dry, adding the dry to wet a little at a time.

• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake uncovered for an hour, then test for doneness by piercing with a knife or toothpick. If it comes out clean, its done. If not and it starts browning too fast, tent lightly with aluminum foil. Mine never needed tenting and its total cooking time came to an hour and 13 minutes.

Ok, I need to make more of this. Right now.

 

Pumpkin is like crack to me. I ate the whole thing (practically by myself!) in about 2 days! I usually freeze any baked good within a day of making them so that they don’t go bad. I couldn’t bring myself to do that to this deliciously dense and moist bread! It looked nothing like a healthy food and I was enthralled! Christian thought it was pretty darned good too and did his part helping me take the whole pan down! It was great straight out of the oven, but even better the next day toasted and spread with coconut oil and honey. Mmmm…bliss. I will warn you that because of its lack of sugar (preservative) it should be refrigerated with a day or so of making to discourage any bacteria from growing.

 

*I thought this bread was wonderful! It was a lot like Starbucks in density, texture, and flavor. Which was exactly what I was going for. However the stevia wasn’t quite up to the sweetness level that I prefer in my pumpkin bread. I am going to try adding a bit of honey or date paste next time I make this. I might also amend the stevia to ¾ of a cup and see how that goes.

 

Therese’s White Wheat Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips

Therese’s White Wheat Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips*

Yield: 16 slices

Nutrition per slice (59 grams)

Calories: 105.5

Fat: 2.2 g

Sodium: 182.3 mg

Total Carbs: 18.1 g

Fiber: 2.5 g

Sugar: 5.4 g

Protein: 3.2 g

2 bananas mashed (around 200g)

1 banana Chobani 2 % Greek yogurt (I use 6 oz plain 0% Chobani if I am out of banana)

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract (you can double the vanilla if you don’t have almond)

½ tsp kosher salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups white wheat flour (I use King Arthur and love it)

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

¾ cup water

¼ cup baking Stevia or Splenda

½ cup (90 grams) dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan, or two. I used two 8×6’s. You can use any combination of pans you have, or even make this recipe into muffins.

Mash banana and mix in all other wet ingredients, then add in all dry ingredients into the same bowl. Add in chocolate chips and pour into prepared pans. Bake for around 35 minutes or until a knife poked into the center comes out clean. Try not to eat it all in one sitting. Enjoy!

*be warned, this stuff is like crack (for me at least) its so hard for me not to eat a piece after every meal! I put mine into plastic bags and into the freezer immediately after making it and just microwave a piece whenever I want one. It helps to keep it out of sight, or it’d literally be gone in one day!