Pumpkin Bread- Regular or Gluten Free

One of my favorite things about fall is the glorious, orangey pumpkin. Pumpkin pies, breads, cakes, rolls, puddings, lattes, ice cream, soup…it’s such a versatile veggie! Pumpkin is also very healthy since it’s full of vitamin A and antioxidants and eating the seeds can even help improve your mood as they contain tryptophan (and they say it’s the turkey that puts us to sleep at Thanksgiving. Maybe we’re overdosing on tryptophan at our holiday dinners?). Tryptophan is important in the production of serotonin, a monoamine neurotransmitter that is thought to make us feel good, low levels of which may bring on depression.

I made some pumpkin puree and was just looking for an excuse to bake something when I wondered if Pumpkin Banana Bread would be good. I had some bananas that had definitely seen better days and needed to do something with them, too. Let me assure you, Pumpkin Banana Bread is very, very delicious! Moist, dense and flavorful this easy recipe is perfect for these cooler fall days and a hot cup of tea or coffee.

We are gluten free at our house, except for my hubby who can eat whatever he wants, so I made this with a terrific gluten free flour blend that I’ve been using for some time now from C. C. Dolch. You can replace the flour in regular recipes with this 1:1. I can’t vouch for any other kind of flour blends so if you decide to use something different, your results may vary.

Ingredients:

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a stoneware loaf pan, which I preheated with the oven, then lightly greased before adding my batter.

Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the bananas, coconut oil, pumpkin and egg until well mixed.

It helps to have a Kitchen Assistant. Mister loves to help me with the mixer!

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Don’t over-mix though, this can make your bread turn out tough.

Pour into your prepared loaf pan and put it in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Mine took about 70 minutes, perhaps because of the different flour – I’m not sure. At 50 minutes, check by inserting a toothpick near the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

I was very pleased at how high this bread rose, especially for being a gluten free bread. I have yet to be disappointed with C. C. Dolch flour!

Let it cool completely, (if you can!) before slicing. I like mine still a bit warm so I don’t wait until it’s completely cold. Besides, after smelling it bake you won’t want to wait any longer than necessary! The longer you wait, though, the less crumbly it will be when you slice it.

I had this for breakfast with a cup of tea the next day, it was fabulous!

Dawn is a wife and homeschooling mom who blogs about the sweetest things in her life: Faith, Family and Food. She believes in being real about those things and encourages other moms and women to do the same. You can find posts on those topics plus product reviews and giveaways on her blog, Oh Sweet Mercy.