Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread

Nikki Ostrower is the founder of NAO Nutrition. I took Nikki's challenge to make her 100% all-natural pumpkin bread. She claimed that it is “SO tasty you will not believe it's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and has NO added processed sugar!!!” She’s right. Well, with a few trials and errors, I came to like her recipe as much, if not more than any conventional recipes I’ve tried in the past. Although my loaves turned out looking rather homely, it's great to have some tasty gluten-free baked goods around this holiday that I can enjoy!

As I was adding the dry ingredients to the bowl for the first loaf, I discovered I was out of xanthan gum. Ugh. Far from the nearest store that sells such an ingredient, I pillaged my pantry for some  kind of an alternative. I settled on adding two packets of Knox gelatin to the dry mix. The texture was good; the consistency fine, except it was a little gummy on the bottom, though I baked it for an hour. 

The second loaf that included the xanthan gum, which baked for an hour and ten minutes, rose higher, grew wider, split in the middle and collapsed, had a similar texture and consistency, but more flavor, because I added one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to Nikki’s original recipe:

"Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8.5" loaf pan

Combine in a large bowl:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 cup grade B maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour - I used Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All purpose Baking Mix (you can always use just buckwheat flour, quinoa flour, brown rice flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture and stir until smooth.
Place the batter into the greased pan and cook for 50 minutes to an hour.

Do the toothpick test to see if completely done.

Cool the loaf and ENJOY!!!"

Note: For me, I think a little more experimentation is in order with spices and trying other gluten-free, all-purpose baking mixes, and working with other individual flours.