GFCF pumpkin bread.

As you know, we have been praying and searching for almost seven months now for the health issues I've been facing. We are praising the Lord that we finally think we've found the problem(s) and it all has to do with food! I have cut gluten out of my diet and, more recently, casein (all dairy) and I feel like a new person. Needless to say, cooking without gluten (which is found in wheat, barley, and rye) and without any dairy can be pretty challenging. But if it's helping this much, I really can't complain!

This pumpkin bread is not only gluten-free, but casein-free as well (GFCF for short), and all the taste testers in our house could not tell a difference. If you don't care about it being gluten-free, it's still a great recipe, and you can substitute all-purpose flour and omit the xanthan gum.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour*

2 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and spices. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, and eggs. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the nuts, if you're using them. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until done in the middle. Remove from the pan, cool on a rack.

*For the gluten-free flour, you can use any GF all-purpose baking flour which you can find at Whole Foods or other health stores. You can also blend your own flour mix, which has worked even better for me so far. I adapted this flour recipe from a recipe I found online, and it's a lot less gritty than the pre-made baking flours I've bought. I have used this flour blend in quickbreads, muffins, and cookies and it works great for all of them!

Gluten-free Flour Blend

2 1/4 cups brown rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch flour

2/3 cup tapioca starch flour

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

Mix all of these flours and store in the freezer. You can replace regular flour with this flour blend in your recipes 1:1. You just need to add the appropriate amount of xanthan gum for whatever you're baking. Xanthan gum adds volume and acts as a binding agent for gluten-free recipes. For each cup of gluten-free flour, here's how much xanthan gum to add:

1/4 tsp. for cookies

1/2 tsp. for cakes

3/4 tsp. for muffins and quickbreads

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. for breads

2 tsp. for pizza crusts

I realize a lot of this may sound like a foreign language to many of you, but if there's anyone out there who's just figuring out the GFCF diet like I am, I hope this is a helpful starting place!

Happy Fall, y'all!