Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Bake (Bread)

This Pumpkin Bake recipe is probably one of my favourites, I love the smell, taste and the texture. Traditionally (in Trinidad and Tobago) if the word "bake" is part of the title, it refers to a "thick" flatbread instead of a loaf.

The flat-ish bread is normally denser than a regular loaf and in times past was done on the stove in an "iron" pot. Since this is oven baked and the batter is somewhat loose this pumpkin bake is less dense than normal and super soft!

The hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves reminds me of pumpkin spice. You could certainly add more sugar and spices to the dough for a sweeter and even more flavorful bake. I've used turmeric to amp up the yellow colour and it also adds just a hint of flavour.

Altogether this Pumpkin Bake is amazing. If you agree, let me know in the comments. Of course I'd also be happy to answer your questions or concerns.

Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Bake (Bread)

Soft Pumpkin Bake Batter

Pumpkin Bake Slices

Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Bake (Bread) Recipe

Ingredients

1½ cup brown rice flour*

½ cup potato starch*

¼ cup tapioca starch*

1 tsp xanthan gum*

2 tsp brown sugar

1¼ tsp instant yeast

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp ground flaxmeal

¼ tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg powder

pinch of clove powder

pinch of turmeric powder (optional for colour)

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 tsp vinegar

75 g of cubed pumpkin**

1½ cup water**

Notes

*You can purchase my cake and muffin mix to make this. You can also use an off the shelf 1 to 1 or all purpose blend, although I cannot guarantee that the bake will be exactly the same. Do not add xanthan gum if your blend already contains it.

**The pumpkin and water is approximately 1¾ cup of pumpkin puree

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 F and prepare a baking tin approximately 7”- 8” in diameter x 1” in depth (you can use a pan that is deeper but not wider)

Add the pumpkin cubes and water to a food processor, blend to make pumpkin puree. The consistency of the puree is up to you, it could be smooth or have a few small pieces of pumpkin. Set aside. You can also use a ready mixed pumpkin puree, see my note above

In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together. This bake is not sweet or heavily spiced, you can add more sugar or spices if you prefer

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Starting with 1½ cup of the pumpkin puree add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, kneading or mixing until thoroughly combined. The dough should be smooth, sticky and looser like muffin batter. Add more of the puree or even extra water if needed, a little at a time, to achieve the right consistency.

Scoop the dough into the baking tin. You can smooth the top of the dough with the back of a wet spoon

Allow the dough to rise up to the rim of the tin. When ready place the pumpkin bake in the oven to bake for 25 mins. The bake is ready when lightly browned on top and it has pulled away from the sides of the tin. The underside should also be brown and if tapped will sound hollow.

Place the bake on a cooling rack. Cut only when completely cooled. Wrap the rest of the loaf tightly to maintain freshness for as long as possible, keep refrigerated. The bake is best sliced, wrapped and stored in the freezer if it will not be used within three days

A Gluten Free and Vegan Bread Recipe You Can Modify

In general a good gluten free bread recipe follows this basic formula:

Gluten Free Bread Recipe = Gluten Free Flour Blend + Binder + Fat + Protein + Liquid

Your flour blend should have a mix of higher protein flour and starches. Buckwheat and Oat flour are higher in protein in comparison to the Rice flour and together they give the bread structure. The starches help to keep the bread somewhat light and should account for at least 10% of your flour blend.

In this recipe psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum does the binding, the oil is the main source of the fat, the non gluten protein is contributed mainly by the flour or milk if used and liquid is the water or milk.

If you want to make your own special bread, start with the recipe below and see what results you get. Once you’ve mastered the recipe as is, you can begin to manipulate the ingredients, preferably one at a time. Substitute ingredients that are similar in composition and similar based on what they do in the recipe. There are also ingredients that cannot be substituted 1:1, so do some research before making a decision. For example, can ground chia seeds be used as a 1 to 1 substitute for flaxmeal? The answer is, not all the time, chia is more gelatinous in water than flax and therefore stronger as a binding agent.

Troubleshoot and tweak the recipe until it works for you. Here are some tips:

• Dense loaf- may need more liquid (the dough will usually be wetter than regular wheat flour dough)

• Gummy on the inside- bake for a longer time ( an hour or more is not uncommon)

• Loaf sinks in the middle while baking- dough was proofed for too long (it does not get better the more you let it rise in the tin)

• Baking tin is too big- the bread will spread out not up and the result may be a dense loaf

• Baking tin is too small- the loaf will also be dense because the bread cannot rise over the tin without support

• Generally unappealing after baking- use an oven thermometer to verify if your oven’s temperature is calibrated correctly

Making good gluten free bread takes practice. In time, you will begin to discover what flour or what brand you like and why. You will also master swapping out ingredients to your preference.

I've shared a few more resources that can help you on your baking journey, take a look at these links:

• How to use the Tangzhong Method

• How to write a Gluten Free Bread flour blend recipe (Part 1)

• How to write a Gluten Free Bread flour blend recipe (Part 2)

Beautiful Gluten Free and Vegan Bread

Wholesome Gluten Free and Vegan Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1¼ cup brown rice flour

½ cups buckwheat flour

½ cup oat flour

¼ cup tapioca starch

1 tbsp psyllium husk powder

OR

1¼ tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp ground flaxmeal

2 tsp brown sugar

½ tbsp baking powder

2½ tsp instant yeast

½ tsp salt

¼ cup vegetable oil (I use coconut)

1¼ - 1½ cup warm water (105-115°F)* ½ tbsp vinegar

*You can use milk e.g. coconut milk instead of water

Making the Bread

In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients including the flaxmeal, use only 1/2 tsp of the yeast and none of the baking powder. Set aside Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients (except the vinegar), kneading or mixing until thoroughly combined. The dough should be slightly sticky but holding together and fairly easy to work with Cover the bowl with cling wrap or other and set aside in a cool place to rest for about an hour. Resting the dough improves the texture of the finished loaf At the end of the rest period add the rest of the yeast (2 tsp), the baking powder and mix or knead well. Add the vinegar and mix or knead again. The dough should be slightly sticky or shaggy but holding together (like a thick brownie batter, scoopable not pourable). Add more water or milk a little at a time if needed Scoop the dough into a baking tin (approx 7 1/2"l x 4"w x 4.5"h internal measurements). You can smooth the top of the dough with the back of a spoon. Wet the spoon, it will be easier to work with Allow the dough to rise just over the rim of the tin and no more (the bread can collapse if it rises too much) Once the dough is in the tin, preheat oven to 350°F. When it is ready place the dough in the oven and bake for 50 minutes After 50 minutes, lower the heat to 275 and bake for another 15 mins. After the 15 mins, turn your oven off and leave the bread there for another 15 mins, you can take the loaf out of the pan for this (if the bread feels really firm on all sides, especially the bottom of the loaf you can skip this step)

Cut the bread when it's completely cool. Store in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for an extended period of time

Yummy Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate, bananas and cookies so this recipe was meant to happen. There is nothing super amazing about it. This is simply a delicious, ready in minutes cookie. It's also a good way to use over ripened bananas.

The recipe is easily personalized. You can add nuts, rolled oats, cacao powder or dried fruit if you want to make this as a "power cookie". In that case, the liquid will need adjusting but you really cannot go wrong if you choose to experiment.

As always message me if you need my help. Hope you enjoy the recipe, salud!

Gluten Free, Vegan Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten Free, Vegan Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup potato starch

¼ tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 small banana (80g)

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp coconut oil

¼ tsp vanilla extract

2 - 2½ oz chocolate chips (57 - 71g)

Water or Dairy Free Milk if needed

Notes

You can use a pre-packaged gluten free flour blend, preferably a “light” blend for cake or pancakes and not a bread mix. Omit the xanthan gum if already in your mix

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients except the white sugar and stir to combine. Leave out the chocolate chips

Mash the bananas, add the white sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Set aside for about 5 minutes and stir again to dissolve most or all of the white sugar

Add the banana mix to the flour mixture. Knead or mix until the dough is slightly sticky but holding together, add a little water or milk at a time if needed. Fold in the chocolate chips

Scoop rounds of the dough (about 2 tablespoons in size or as preferred) onto a parchment lined sheet leaving a space between each round. If you find the dough difficult to handle, chill for about 15 minutes before shaping

With wet hands flatten into discs. The cookies do not spread much so flatten to your desired thickness

Chill the tray of cookies in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes

While the tray is in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 425F

When ready, bake for 8-10 mins until the tops are lightly browned or until the cookies are set

Cool and enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (this works best for me because I live in a hot and humid climate).