I’m a pumpkin girl. While I can do without a pumpkin spice latte, come fall, I want all other things to be pumpkin. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkins on the mantle. Pumpkins on the porch. I’m a sucker for that warm, fall feeling. I’ve been gluten free for nine years now. For all of those years, I’ve tried to make gluten free pumpkin bread. Often, the bread was gummy in the middle. I just couldn’t seem to get it right. Well, problem solved! I dabbled again this year, and found the secret to the perfect gluten free pumpkin bread. I’ve probably made this recipe seven times already in September alone. It consistently produces a solid loaf every time. This oat flour pumpkin bread is all things fall, plus it’s gluten and dairy free. It brings me so much joy.
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THE FLOUR
For this recipe, I use this oat flour. It has a bit of buckwheat flour mixed in and also has some xanthum gum. I have not tried this recipe with other oat flours yet, but you could definitely give it a try. If using plain oat flour, or grinding rolled oats yourself, I would probably add a bit of xantham gum to the recipe. You’d have to experiment with how much, if at all.
THE SWEETENER
Most conventional pumpkin bread recipes are sweetened with granulated sugar. Consistently, if you look across the internet, you’ll find one cup of sugar to be the standard. I’m always looking for ways to reduce my intake of processed sugar. But I’ll be honest, alternative sweeteners are slowly pricing me out of the market. For instance, one cup of pure maple syrup is about four dollars! So, for this recipe, I’ve reduced the overall sugar content, but also opted for a mix of granulated sugar with maple syrup.
The natural sugars (like maple syrup or honey) are more easily metabolized by the body. I like that. I also like the flavor that maple syrup adds to the bread. But for the sake of my budget, I’ve cut the maple syrup with a bit of organic granulated sugar. I guess I’m looking for the best of both worlds here, and this oat flour pumpkin bread is the middle ground.
TO PREPARE THE PAN
In the past, I’ve made bread in a loaf pan by spraying the pan with oil. Sometimes the bread still sticks. Or, when cooling in the pan, it sinks in the middle. For this recipe, I spray just a tiny bit of oil on the bottom of the pan, then I press a piece of parchment paper into the pan. The oil helps to keep the paper in place. The paper enables me to easily lift the bread from the pan when it comes out of the oven. By pulling the edges of the paper, I can quickly move the bread to a cooling rack. Not once has my oat flour pumpkin bread sunk or stuck with this method.
How to Make the Best Oat Flour Pumpkin Bread (Gluten and Dairy Free)
Notes
If you’d like to make any additions (like raisins, or chocolate chips, or nuts), do so after the batter is mixed. Fold your choice into the batter before adding it to the pan. I have not found this to affect the baking time.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (warmed to room temperature)
- 3/4 c pumpkin puree
- 1/4 c avocado oil
- 1/3 c maple syrup
- 1/4 c granulated sugar
- 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 c oat flour (I use this one which contains a bit of buckwheat)
- Granulated sugar for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Warm three large eggs to room temperature. If you need to do this quickly, you can soak the eggs in a bowl of hot water for about five minutes.
- Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, avocado oil, and maple syrup to a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine.
- Sprinkle the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice over the contents of the mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Sprinkle the baking powder and sea salt atop the mixture. Whisk again.
- Add the oat flour to the mixture, one half cup at a time. Whisk until smooth. You may need to switch to a spatula toward the end. Turn the bread mixture over and over until it’s very smooth and there are no lumps.
- Prepare the pan by spraying a bit of oil onto the inside bottom. (You can pour oil and spread it with a paper towel. It doesn’t take much.) Place a piece of parchment paper into the pan. The oil will help to hold it in place. Be sure the parchment paper reaches up over the edges of the pan.
- Pour the batter into the parchment paper. Use the spatula to scrape everything from the bowl. If you sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar across the top of the bread, it will harden into a sweet crust as the bread is baking.
- Cut away any excess parchment paper. Place the loaf pan into the oven for 55 minutes. When done baking, use the edges of the paper to lift the loaf from the pan. Move it to a cooling rack. You should be able to slice into the bread after about five minutes of cooling on the rack.
If you like this recipe, check out my recipe for Oat Flour Carrot Cake.
