Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

So it's not exactly health food, but every once in a while, you just need to bake something sweet. This is a family favorite made gluten-free. I adapted this recipe from the best cookbook of all time, Joy of Cooking's 75th Anniversary Edition.


One 9 x 5-inch loaf

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together and set aside:
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1/2 tsp. Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Combine in a small bowl and set aside:
1/3 milk
1/2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla

Beat in a large bowl until fluffy:
6 tbsp. softened butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Beat into the butter/sugar mix, one at a time:
2 large eggs

Add and beat at low speed until blended:
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

To the butter/sugar/egg mixture, add one-third of the flour mixture, then one-half of the milk mixture. Repeat, alternating the flour and the milk mixture until everything is blended. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the butter/sugar.

Optional: Stir in 1/2 raisins or walnuts (or both). You can also use pecans instead of walnuts.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 70 minutes.

Adapted from Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Bcker, Ethan Becker. 75th Anniversary Edition, 2006, Scribner, New York, NY. p. 628.