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This Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread made with alternative flours and no xanthan gum is the most moist and delicious pumpkin bread you will eat this season. Nutty with brown butter and encrusted with cinnamon sweetened pumpkin seeds for crunch, the alternative flours used not only make it gluten-free but deepen the flavour and give it a slight chew which is incredibly addictive.
This Gluten-Free Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread (no xanthan gum) is so much more than you could ever think possible rather than just another pumpkin bread recipe. It is made with the most delicious wholegrain alternative flours that not only give your Pumpkin Loaf a wonderful flavour backdrop but also a gorgeous texture.
Table of contents
Why you'll love this recipe
- No xanthan gum. READ MORE >>> Why I don't bake with xanthan gum
- Toasty brown butter flavour that is a perfect pairing with the earthy vegetal pumpkin notes.
- Perfect backdrop of rich warm spices.
- Addictive texture that is light bouncy with just a little bit of chew.
- Easy to make using just a couple of mixing bowls and a wooden spoon for company.
- Requires no fancy decoration but still looks beautiful and shiny thanks to a cinnamon syrup brushed over the top.
Gluten-free flours required
This Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread no xanthan gum requires a specific blend of wholegrain and starchy flours to replicate the role of gluten without using any special binders or gums.
- Sweet Rice Flour
Also called glutinous rice flour, it doesn’t contain gluten and is not the same as ordinary white rice flour. It helps to bind the other flours together, adding moisture and a slight chew to the bake. READ MORE >>> Ultimate Guide to Sweet Rice Flour - Sorghum Flour
This flour is bursting with an earthy nutty flavour. It has a great wholegrain texture which sits perfectly with the pumpkin and spices. READ MORE >>> Ultimate Guide to Sorghum Flour - Millet Flour
I have used the millet flour here for bulking out the flour mix. It doesn’t have a strong taste so doesn’t overwhelm the finished bake. - Potato Starch (not potato flour)
This adds lightness to the bake so the finished result doesn’t end up stodgy.
Please note this recipe was tested and perfected using this exact flour combination. That is not to say that you can't substitute these flours but you will have to experiment. I recommend if you are swapping flours around then swap a wholegrain flour for another wholegrain flour or a starch flour for another starch flour.
Ingredients needed
- Pumpkin puree. This recipe was tested with tinned (canned) pumpkin.
- Caster sugar. An ultra fine grind of white sugar.
- Eggs. Medium size, about 60g each.
- Unsalted butter. You want to control the salt levels of the bread so always choose unsalted.
- Gluten-free flours. As above - sweet white rice flour, sorghum flour, millet flour, potato starch.
- Baking powder. For lift and a tender crumb.
- Bicarbonate of soda. For lift and airyness.
- Spices. A deep flavourful mix of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice
- Kosher salt. Salt improves the overall flavour of the bread and kosher salt is just a little more gentle than table salt.
- Pumpkin seeds. For decoration.
- Caster sugar + water. This creates a sugar syrup to brush over the top of your loaf for aesthetic reasons.
Step-by-step instructions
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan. It will start to hiss and crackle as it browns. Once the sizzling noises start to decrease immediately remove from the heat.
- Wet ingredients. Pour the butter into a food mixer or large mixing bowl along with the pumpkin puree, sugar and eggs and beat until smooth.
- Dry ingredients. Sift together the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt.
- Mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth.
- Bake. Pour into a lined loaf tin, scatter over the pumpkin seeds and bake for 55-60 minutes.
Pro tips
Brown butter. Keep a careful eye over it as it can burn in a moment. Once you remove from the heat pour out of the saucepan straightaway into a cool bowl to stop it from cooking. Leave to cool for a few minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Room temperature. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature (including the eggs) for even mixing.
How to store
This Gluten-Free Pumpkin Loaf Cake stores well, if kept in a cool dark place in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
How to freeze
I recommend freezing without the cinnamon syrup so the sides of the bread are dry and easy to store. As soon as the pumpkin bread has cooled to room temperature then double wrap in cling film and aluminium foil for extra protection. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature still wrapped. Unwrap once fully defrosted, then you can brush over the cinnamon syrup if you like.
In slices
Or you can freeze your pumpkin bread in slices. Once it has cooled to room temperature then slice and store in a large ziplock bag. This won't have as long a freezer life as the whole bread (about 1-2 months) but it's very convenient rather than defrosting a whole loaf.
To defrost just remove one slice and allow to defrost at room temperature which should take a couple of hours at the most.
More gluten-free pumpkin recipes
- The Best! Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
- Pumpkin Jam
- Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
- Spiced Pumpkin Date Cookies
I urge you to give this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (no xanthan gum)
Ingredients
- 400 g pumpkin puree - I used tinned
- 270 g caster sugar
- 3 eggs - medium
- 160 g unsalted butter
- 125 g sweet white rice flour - (glutinous rice flour)
- 110 g sorghum flour
- 100 g millet flour
- 65 g potato starch - (not potato flour)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 30 g pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 4 and line and grease a 9 inch loaf tin.
- First you want to turn your butter into melted brown butter. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat over a medium flame. The butter will melt. Listen carefully and the butter will start hissing and cracking and forming little brown bits at the bottom of the pan. You want to wait until the noises start to subside, the butter smells toasty and is turning a darker colour. Remove from the heat as soon as it’s ready so it doesn’t begin to burn.
- Pour the butter into a food mixer or large mixing bowl along with the pumpkin puree, sugar and eggs and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt then add to the rest of the mix. Beat until well mixed.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin and scatter the pumpkin seeds evenly over the top.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
- Leave the pumpkin bread for 5 minutes to settle in the cake tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack and leave for a moment whilst you prepare the cinnamon syrup.
- Pour the caster sugar, water and cinnamon into a small saucepan and turn the heat onto low. When the sugar has melted then turn the heat off and brush the syrup over the top of the pumpkin bread. Leave to cool completely before you slice and serve.
I have just made these delicious pancakes.
This receipe is so easy to follow, each pancake turned out perfectly. Yum Yum
Thank you Georgina x
Hi. I tried this but unfortunately the bread was very crumbly on top and dense in the middle. It feels more like a cake than bread. Any suggestions as to where I went wrong? Want to try this again. I didn’t substitute anything. Followed the recipe as is. Thanks
Hi Sonia, yes you are right, this bake is like a pumpkin version of a banana bread. The finished result does have a definite chew which is down to the sweet rice flour. I enjoy mince with a slather of butter but it's not really the kind of bake that you would use for a sandwich etc.
I shan't groan at the concept of gluten free, as this looks really tasty. I can't wait to pass this along to my sister, who loves gluten free at every opportunity! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your comment Matt. I think of it as only eating cheddar cheese all your life, then suddenly realising there are all these other different cheeses out there too, there is brie or blue cheese, all good for different purposes and different moods. The alternative flours are not just good for those on a gluten-free diet but open up the world of baking so you're don't have to be confined to using only one type of flour. I love the variety of tastes and textures these alternative flours create.