Today is a very special day because my little sis, Megan, will be joining us for today’s post.  She just got married so she has been experimenting in the kitchen with recipes that her hubs will love and that will accommodate her dietary restrictions.  She made this for us last weekend and I was so impressed that I asked her to remake it for the blog.  Enjoy!  

Who doesn’t love pumpkin bread every once in awhile!?  The problem: it is usually full of ingredients that are less than ideal for a health food enthusiast or those with dietary limitations.  There are not many recipes out there that can make up for all the sins in pumpkin bread, but I came across one from She Let Them Eat Cake that satisfies both a vegan and gluten free palate.  I was skeptical to try this recipe as I did not think it would be possible to replicate the “real thing”, but surprisingly it was incredibly delicious and my husband continues to ask me to make it, which, let’s be honest is the true test of any baked delicacy.  Let’s get started shall we?

Perhaps the most unfamiliar ingredient in the recipe is flaxseed meal. It intimidated me when I saw this ingredient listed as I thought it might be difficult to find, but I was surprised to find it on the shelves of most grocery stores.  In this recipe it is used as a “starter”.  Combined with warm water, it turns into a foamy paste that doubles as an egg substitute.  Vegans rejoice!

Once the “starter” is well, started, the rest of the recipe comes together just as any other bread or baked good might.  It is important to mix all wet and dry ingredients separately except for the sugar.  The sugar is combined with the flaxseed and water concoction until it forms a foamy paste. The rest of the wet ingredients are then combined with this flaxseed and sugar mixture.  You can use any type of gluten free baking flour, but I find that Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix works very well with this recipe.  It can be found in most grocery stores in the gluten free or baking aisles.

Once your wet and dry ingredients are mixed separately, you simply combine the dry ingredients with the wet, a small amount at a time.  It is important not to over mix the batter; just mix until combined.  This would be a good time to add a cup of GF, dairy free chocolate for you vegans out there, or of course regular chocolate works just fine for those who are just GF.  Then simply pour, bake, and enjoy!

Tips: Sprinkle sugar over the raw batter before baking.  It produces a crunchy, shimmery topping that looks beautiful and tastes delicious.  I find that the bread takes longer than suggested in the recipe to bake.  Bake for at least 40 minutes and then test with a knife every 5-10 minutes until the knife comes out clean.

 Vegan and Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2.5 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp warm water

¾ cup coconut sugar (or sugar of your choosing), plus more for sprinkling

1/3 cup plus 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

½ cup melted coconut oil, plus more for brushing

2 cup my all-purpose mix

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×4 inch loaf pan.

Combine the flax-water mixture in a large bowl, set aside for a couple of minutes. Add the sugar and combine until the mixture is a little frothy. Add all of the applesauce, pumpkin puree, vanilla and oil and stir until combined.

Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until combined (now would be a good time to add 1 cup of chocolate chips or nuts if you like them in your pumpkin bread).

Put in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with some melted coconut oil. Bake for another 15-18 minutes – or until tested with a knife.