The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This gluten free pumpkin bread is perfectly soft and moist, packed full of pumpkin puree and fall spices, and finished with a deliciously crunchy cinnamon-sugar crust. It’s incredibly easy to make and guaranteed to become one of your favourite fall desserts.
Servings 10
Ingredients
For gluten free pumpkin bread:
- 200 g (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 330 g (1 ½ cups) pumpkin puree
- 3 UK medium/ US large eggs, room temperature
- 80 g (⅓ cup) whole milk, room temperature
- 240 g (2 cups) plain gluten free flour blend (I used Doves Farm Freee plain gluten free flour blend, which doesn't contain xanthan gum. You can also mix your own blend with 50% white rice flour, 30% potato starch and 20% maize flour by weight.)
- 50 g (½ cup) almond flour
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your GF flour blend already contains xanthan)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
For cinnamon-sugar mixture:
- 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a 2lb/900g loaf baking tin with greaseproof/baking paper. (Dimensions of the loaf tin: 8inch/21cm long, 4inch/11cm wide and 3inch/7cm high.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until pale.
- Add the pumpkin puree and whisk well until combined.
- Add the eggs and milk, and whisk well until combined.
- Sift together the plain gluten free flour blend, almond flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices, and add them to the wet ingredients. Whisk or stir well until you get a smooth batter with no flour clumps.
- Transfer the batter into the lined loaf tin and smooth out the top.
- Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and sprinkle it evenly across the top.
- Use a toothpick or sharp knife to draw a line (about 1 mm deep) lengthwise down the middle of the pumpkin bread batter – this will help control the cracking. (See post for photo.)
- Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 1 hour 20 minutes – 1 hour 25 minutes, or until well risen, golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick/skewer comes out clean or with a few stray crumbs attached. Tip: If the pumpkin bread starts browning too quickly or too much, cover it with aluminium foil (shiny side up) and continue baking until done. It's best to cover it with aluminium foil when it starts becoming a deep golden colour.
- Once baked, allow it to cool in the tin for 5 - 10 minutes, then remove out of the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. (Although it's rather wonderful still slightly warm.)
- Storage: The gluten free pumpkin bread keeps well in a closed container in a cool dry place for 3 - 4 days.
Notes
The addition of a cinnamon-sugar crust was inspired by the pumpkin bread recipe by Smitten Kitchen.