Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe (1)

A rather perfect loaf. From me to you.

Happy October! Today is a quintessential soft autumn day- muted flannel skies, a spattering of rain, and creeping catlike fog. The scents of balsam, pine, and mossy bark infuse our morning walk with an ancient woodsy familiarity my New England soul craves, as yellow birch leaves flutter earthward, dreamlike and cinematic.

It will soon be time to pull on our favorite sweater. Stack kindling and firewood. Choose a new book to love (I am reading Mink River by Brian Doyle- a lovely, lyrical, mischievous book infused with Irish-American sensibility and Salish stories).

And best of all, it is finally time- for pumpkin lovers everywhere- to fill the pantry shelves with tins of our favorite cucurbit. Because, Dear Reader... it's time to bake. And I have a fabulous, flavorful, autumn-worthy gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe for you.

A huge, gorgeous pumpkin loaf.

Enjoy warm from the oven, with butter or cream cheese. Or make it ahead: Bake it. Wrap it. Freeze it.

PS-- and you can easily leave out the xanthan gum- in truth? I don't use it anymore.


Love,
Karina xox

Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2)


Karina's Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Recipe originally published November 2012 by Karina Allrich.

This recipe makes one big, generous loaf of pumpkin bread. Be sure and use a large loaf pan, preferably ceramic, like this one, for even baking. And if you don't care for walnuts, use pecans.

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1/2 cup hazelnut flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum (or omit)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup golden brown sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup organic expeller pressed canola oil
3 organic free-range eggs, beaten
1 rounded cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla
3/4 cup chopped walnuts* see notes below for options

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Line a large loaf pan - preferably a 9-inch ceramic loaf pan- with a piece of parchment paper; the length of the parchment should be above both sides, with enough to grip (this makes it super easy to get the baked loaf out of the pan).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, starches, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, xanthan gum, spices and sugars.

Add in the oil, egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Beat for two minutes till the batter is smooth and fluffy.

Fold in the walnuts by hand, using a big spoon or spatula.

Scoop the batter into the lined loaf pan. Smooth out the top. Add a few walnut halves for decoration, if desired.

Feel the pan. If the batter feels cold- allow it to rest for a few minutes and come up to room temperature- this will help with the rise.

Place the pan in the center of the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.

At 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350ºF. Bake for 45 to 55 more minutes, until the top is firm and set, and a cake tester inserted into the center emerges clean.

*This is a large loaf- so it takes a good hour, at least, to bake. Every oven is different, and if you are baking in hot weather, your loaf may cook through faster than mine did. As always- keep an eye on it. Test. And get to know your oven (does it run a tad warm- or cool?).

Cool on a wire rack. When the loaf has cooled, loosen the end edges with a thin knife; grip the parchment to gently lift the loaf onto a cutting board.

Remember- a warm loaf is a fragile loaf.

Slice with a serrated bread knife. We grilled our leftover slices in a dab of vegan butter.

I froze half the loaf to have on hand. It freezes beautifully. This would be lovely to make ahead for Thanksgiving.

Makes a large 9-inch loaf.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com


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Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe (3)

GFG Notes:

This is a gluten-free dairy-free recipe.

Here is the ceramic loaf pan I use, at Amazon.com.

I prefer sorghum flour for its soft texture. If you must substitute, perhaps millet flour or certified gluten-free oat flour would be a good choice- if your family eats gluten-free oats (not every celiac can handle oats). I am shying away from brown rice flour for several reasons- including the latest info on arsenic levels in brown rice. If you choose to sub with brown rice flour, the result may be a tad crumbly.

For those not using hazelnut flour, try almond flour or chestnut flour.

I imagine this might work without eggs, but using a replacer may produce a tougher, or denser loaf- and need a different baking time.

Option: Cut walnuts to one half cup (or omit). Add in one half cup of dried cherries or cranberries for extra holiday flair.

For more substitution help, please see my guide to baking with substitutions here.

Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to getting gluten free bread to rise? ›

An easy way to create a good environment for gluten-free bread to rise is to turn your oven to 200 F; when it reaches this temperature, turn off the oven and place a shallow baking pan partially filled with hot water on one of the shelves.

Why do you put vinegar in gluten free bread? ›

The addition of vinegar and sour cream helps the dough to be a bit more flexible when rolling out and also to brown slightly more easily when baked in the oven. Rice wine vinegar doesn't have a strong taste so it is useful for this dough, but it can be replaced with other acids.

Why is my homemade gluten free bread so dense? ›

Dense loaf- you may need to use more liquid, gluten free dough is usually wetter than regular wheat flour dough resembling a thick brownie batter. How much liquid is enough in a recipe ultimately depends not on formulas but in observation. You may need more or less liquid than the recipe specifies.

How do you keep gluten free bread from falling apart? ›

Use Psyllium Husk Powder as a binder for better Gluten Free Bread. Without gluten, bread dough lacks elasticity and the "stickiness" needed to hold together. Binders like xanthan gum, psyllium husk, guar gum and to some extent flaxmeal and chia seeds are used to perform the function of gluten.

What is the biggest challenge of making gluten free bread? ›

One of the challenges is that when gluten-free dough is thickened with additives like starches and gums, it becomes sticky. Some bakers dust sticky dough with flour, but that's problematic with gluten-free formulations.

Which yeast is best for gluten free bread? ›

What type of yeast should be used to bake Gluten Free Bread? Active dry yeast and instant yeast both work well and are often interchangeable. Be on the lookout for any Rapid Rise yeast that is best for one rise. For most of us that's the way gluten free bread is baked, a single rise in the tin.

Is vinegar bad for celiac? ›

Most vinegars are gluten-free. Most varieties are distilled and made from inherently gluten-free ingredients such as grapes. The only vinegar that needs to be avoided is malt vinegar. Malt vinegar is not distilled, and malt is derived from barley, a grain that is not gluten-free.

What vinegar is best for gluten free bread? ›

The ingredients for gluten free bread
  • brown rice flour (needs to be very finely milled, also called “superfine”)
  • buckwheat flour.
  • salt (adds flavour)
  • apple cider vinegar (gives the yeast an extra boost of activity by creating a slightly acidic environment)
Apr 2, 2020

What makes gluten free bread better? ›

The sources used for making gluten-free bread are packed with fibre. Rice Flour, Soy Flour, Starch (Tapioca, Potato, Corn) used in the gluten-free bread by The Baker's Dozen ensure that your gut is never low on dietary fibre. Dietary fibre has many benefits right from reducing obesity to helping in easing digestion.

What gluten-free flour is best for bread? ›

If you'd like to turn your favorite bread recipe into a gluten free one, look no further than Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. A great substitute for traditional bread flour, it is designed to be used in nearly every wheat flour recipe.

What does oil do in gluten free bread? ›

Add in Proofed Yeast and Wet Ingredients

Most gluten-free recipes will call for the addition of eggs and oils to enhance moisture. Eggs are also natural leaveners that support the volume, texture, color, and shelf-life of gluten-free bread.

Why is gluten free bread so hard to make? ›

Every gluten free flour blend also has a different grain-to-starch ratio, and this can affect so many things when you bake gluten free bread. Different grain-to-starch ratios affect how much liquid you will need to make the bread and the structure of the bread.

What is the secret to making good gluten free bread? ›

18 Tips for Gluten Free Bread Baking
  • Don't scoop flour! ...
  • Weigh your ingredients. ...
  • Room temperature. ...
  • When baking gluten free bread, don't follow directions (for wheat bread). ...
  • Shape gluten free breads before rising. ...
  • High altitude can change the way yeast doughs behave. ...
  • Take your gluten free bread's temperature.

What is the trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

How to make gluten free bread rise better? ›

Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location. Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F – 90°F; higher temperatures may kill the yeast and keep the dough from rising; Lower temperatures will slow the yeast activity which will increase your rise time. Chef's Mazor tips for a maximum dough rise: Heat for 2 min.

What is the rising agent in gluten-free bread? ›

Gluten free recipes generally require extra leavening agents to mimic the gluten. Baking powder and/or baking soda will help make your dough rise and 'pop'.

How do you get gluten free baked goods to rise? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Why is my bread gluten not rising? ›

Dough may not have been kneaded enough. Kneading 'exercises' the gluten in the bread and gives it the elasticity to hold in the air bubbles produced by the yeast. It is these air bubbles that cause the dough to expand and rise.

Does xanthan gum help gluten-free bread rise? ›

Without xanthan gum in a gluten-free bread or cake recipe for instance, the dough or batter would be dry and crumbly and would not rise, despite the presence of a leavening agent.

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