Pumpkin Bread or Muffins (Gluten-free Version)

One of my favorite treats in the fall is pumpkin bread (or muffins). Pumpkin provides a terrific foundation on which to build a spice bread or muffin that is golden brown and over-the-top delicious. Spread with butter while hot out of the oven or cream cheese on a cold slice, or even just plain, this has got to be one of the tastiest ways to eat pumpkin.

Ingredients

2 c. puréed pumpkin meat (see below under Directions)
1 c. honey
3 eggs
¼ c. warm water
2 tbsp. coconut oil or butter
1 c. teff flour
1 c. brown rice flour
½ c. flax seed meal
½ c. cornmeal
2 tsp. backing soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Optional: ½ c. chopped candied ginger, ½ c. golden raisins

Directions

I always use real pumpkin. To prepare a pumpkin for use in this (and other) recipes, buy a small baking pumpkin (New England pie or other sweet variety). Cut the pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds and strings with a soup spoon. (Use my roasted pumpkin seed recipe to transform those seeds into a tasty snack.) Place the pumpkin halves face down on a cookie sheet. Put a half an inch of water in the cookie sheet. Bake for 50 minutes at 350° (or until the pumpkin is clearly soft when pierced with a fork). Allow the pumpkin to cool for 15 or 20 minutes, then remove the skin by scooping the meat out with a spoon. Whirl the pumpkin meat in a food processor until smooth. It may be necessary to add a little water to get the pumpkin to move in the food processor. Do not allow it to get too wet. Different pumpkins have different amounts of water in them. Some will be wet enough while others will need some help with added water. This recipe calls for 2 cups of pumpkin. See below about freezing pumpkin meat or try my pumpkin soup recipe with leftover puréed pumpkin.

The bread/muffins will be baked at 350° so preheat the oven when you are ready to put the ingredients together. Grease 2 bread loaf pans or 2 muffin tins. Paper cupcake cups can be used in the muffin tins if desired.

For this pumpkin bread/muffins recipe, combine the 2 cups of puréed pumpkin with the honey, beaten eggs, water, and oil/butter until smooth (if using butter, melt it before adding to the mixture). Set aside the wet ingredients.

Combine the teff flour, rice flour, cornmeal, flaxseed meal, and all other dry ingredients (including all the spices). Make sure they are well-blended. Then stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until blended. Do not over-stir. If you wish to add dried ginger, raisins (or other dried fruit) then fold that in last.

Divide the batter in half and put half into each bread loaf pan. For muffins, spoon batter into the cupcake cups or muffin pan sections. Fill each cup to approximately ¼-inch from the top with batter. Bake pumpkin bread for 1 hour at 350°. Bake muffins for 25 minutes at 350°. Bread or muffins are done when a knife inserted comes out clean.

Note that pumpkin meat can be stored for months in the freezer without losing its flavor. Put two cups into a small Ziploc and you have the exact amount needed for this recipe. Pumpkins are usually only available in the stores in October and November. Since I never use canned pumpkin, I like to put up some pumpkin meat each fall so that I can make pumpkin bread, muffins, pie, and soup all through the winter with real pumpkin.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!