Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

A Grain-Free Bread?

By

While I wait for the recipes to add up, (Comment on my last post to submit a recipe!) I want to give you this recipe I have been very excited about the past few days.

Remember when I said I was going to go gluten-free for a while? Well, I have one-upped that, and have made a bread that is totally grain-free.

No spelt, no rice flour, no coconut flour, no peanut flour, no crazy substitute flours at all! Yet, it still tastes like bread-Pumpkin Spice Bread, that is 🙂

First, I started by making a butternut squash bread. I threw some things together into a couple mini-loaf pans, and the result was extremely good, but I knew I could do better. Thus I created the Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread!

Finally I have a pumpkin recipe published! After seeing all of the other bloggers’ delectable –looking pumpkin recipes, I wanted to make my own!

Print
Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread

~This recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons Ground flax
  • 3 Tablespoons Chia Gel (For each tablespoon of chia, mix 2-3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 15-20 minutes. The chia seeds will puff into a gel)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (or 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Mix together the ingredients.
  2. Pour into a lightly-greased bread pan.
  3. Bake for 1 hour at 350*. The bread will rise while in the oven, but will sink when taken out.
  4. Let the bread cool for fifteen minutes in the pan (this is necessary for the bread to set since it has no flour in it), and then plop it onto a plate or cutting board.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2010/10/18/a-grain-free-bread/

Mixing…

 

Before baking…

 

I may or may not have licked the mixing bowl clean…

 

Bake for 1 hour at 350*. The bread will rise while in the oven….

 

But it will sink a little bit when it is taken out…

 

Let the bread cool for fifteen minutes in the pan (this is necessary for the bread to set since it has no flour in it), and then plop it onto a plate or cutting board.

 

It is extremely moist, and no-one will ever guess that it is sugar-free or that it doesn’t have flour in it!

 

This bread will be perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What is your favorite way to eat pumpkin? Or do you even like pumpkin?

I used to LOVE pumpkin pie when I ate sugar! Seriously, I would eat it all day long if I could! The way it melts in your mouth as the crust crumbles and the custard-y filling squishes…oh man it is heavenly. I’m going to have to make a sugar-free pumpkin pie recipe!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bread looks great! I love how it is allergy friendly, which means I can enjoy it 😉 I love eating pumpkin all kinds of ways!! I do not think there is anything that would not go great with pumpkin 😉

  6. I don’t need to be gluten free but I am totally going to try it!

    and I wanted to tell you my son is LOVING the chocolate chunk cookies.

    I am so happy to have cookies he can eat, anytime!

    xo

  9. This is amazing, Alex! Do you think the chia gel and eggs could be substituted for flax gel, in addition to the flax already in the recipe? Or would that mess it up? I’m all out of chia seeds and I can’t eat eggs. 🙁

  10. That bread looks amazing!! I love substituting flax/chia for eggs. SO much healthier!! Although I do love a good egg sometimes lol I LOVE pumpkin and I am obsessed with cooking with it (I have like 3 diffferent baked goods on my recipe page with pumpkin) plus I love mixing it into yogurt. I want to try it in soup!!

      • …with regards to substituting the chia for eggs…but it’s not there for a substitute is it? because there are still 3 eggs in the recipe??

        • Well…I put it in for more nutritional value. Also, to make sure that it would still rise properly since it does not have any flour. I’m sure it would be worth a go to try making the bread with more chia and flax, and no eggs at all. The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn’t stick together. It would still taste good, though! A “bread” pudding 🙂

  16. Just found your blog from HEAB and I love it! I’m so making this today!! I love pumpkin in all its varieties but dinner in a pumpkin is prob. my favorite way to use it!
    Thank you!

  17. omg i am making this as soon as i get nut butter! i have everything else and you are a goddess for posting this! i don’t eat any grains and i just hate using alternative flours for bread (the texture is always a little iffy). cannot wait to try it!

  19. I want to make this NOW. For gel measurements, is that 3 tablespoons of chia seeds made in to gel, or 3 T of gel after gelling?

  21. Just found this through HEAB, too, and I can’t wait to make it! I’m gluten intolerant, and haven’t yet found a good gluten-free bread. This looks amazing! Do you happen to know the nutritionals for the whole loaf? Thanks so much!

  25. I just made this, and it was very good. However, to say that no one would ever guess that it doesn’t have sugar or flour in it is really a stretch. The consistency of it is more like a very firm mousse than bread, and it is not at all sweet. I added 2 tsp of stevia to it after I tasted the batter, which gave it just a hint of sweetness.

    • That is true-it is a little mousse-y and a little un-sweet, but I guess my tastes are a bit more sensitive to sweet, so the bread tastes sweet to me 🙂 I also like to think of it as a super moist bread-kind of like banana bread! Have a good day, Gina!

  27. This is in the oven as I type… can’t wait to try it! Thanks for adding to my list of pumpkin recipes :

  28. Hi Alex, how are you? hope you are well 🙂

    So creative in the kitchen. You have baking talent. Usually I like baking using almond flour but this recipe doesn’t even need it. I love it! I hope I’ll be able to make this soon once I have some free time from school. I’ve bookmarked it for sure.

  30. Oh my, I’m going to have to make that! I’ve also been reducing the amt of grains I eat lately to see how it makes me feel. I’ve cut sugar out of my diet too (still eat natural sugars though in fruits and such) and the one thing I have been thinking about is the pumpkin pie. Last year I tried a lower sugar version, using banana to sweeten it and it wasn’t great. Maybe applesauce? I’ll look forward to what you come up with!

  34. Alex,

    Got some questions for you. My name is Howard and I am a reader of Heather Eats Almond Butter. She posted your recipe for Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Bread. I tried the recipe last night and things just did not turn out right. Or maybe they did and my expectations are wrong. I followed your recipe to the letter EXCEPT instead of eggs, I used Ener-G Egg Replacer and I did not add the 1/4 tsp salt. Other than that, I followed your recipe. I prepared 2 loafs at once — made the recipe, poured in loaf pan, than remade recipe and pour in 2nd loaf pan. Put in over and cooked for 60 minutes. I took the loaf out of the oven and as you stated, I let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before flipping it on to a plate. I let it sit on the plate for about 5 more mins before cutting a slice. The inside of the bread was gooey as if it did not cook long enough. 2 questions — is the outcome described as it should be, or given that oven temps might not be exact, is the gooeyness indicating the need for more cooking time. My wife and I tried the bread as it was, and it would be difficult to say that we enjoyed it. Got to believe that I did something wrong. Was replacing the eggs with Ener-G the prob? Any guidance would be appreciated.

    Thank you, Howard

    • Hi Howard!

      I am so sorry your “bread” turned out badly! It probably has something to do with the egg replacement you used. The bread I made uses 3 eggs-which is a lot, so it is probably an important aspect of the bread. When I make it with the eggs, if I focus on the flavor while I eat it, I taste a slight hint of a custard-flavor (which is made of mostly eggs). So perhaps the egg not only contributes to the bread’s ability to hold together, but also it’s taste. I have a question: did the bread you make with the egg replacer stay firm together? Also, did your bread look like mine or Heather’s bread pictures? Just curious…

      The bread that I make is *extremely* moist, almost to the point of thinking it is more of a bread-pudding (it probably would make a fantastic bread pudding!). Also, if your bread is ‘gooey,’ then I would definitely try baking it for a bit longer. You want it to be more ‘spongey’ rather than ‘gooey.’ The bread is like banana bread (or another kind of breakfast bread) rather than a sandwich bread.

      I’m sure the omitted salt wouldn’t do anything drastic, but I like to add a little salt to my recipes because salt is known to bring out the natural sweetness of fruit, in this case pumpkin. Can you eat eggs? Or are you allergic to them? Or on a vegan diet? If you *can* eat eggs, I strongly suggest you try the recipe with eggs instead of the egg replacer.

      I hope this helps! Have a great week!

      Alex http://spoonfulofsugarfree.com

      • Alex,

        No need to be sorry! I am so jazzed that you share such wonderful recipes and insight on your blog. I am 100% sure that I did something wrong — used the Ener-G v. the eggs.

        I plan to try the recipe again this weekend — this time using eggs. I can eat eggs, I just prefer to avoid them because I have a cholesterol problem.

        Thank you so much for responding to my post.

        Regards, Howard

        • Oh I am so glad! I hope you enjoy the bread 🙂 If you are concerned too much about the cholesterol, I’ve heard that a couple people made the bread using 1/3 cup egg whites instead of the whole eggs….and it still turned out great!

          • Howard,

            Mine turned out the same way, I ended up throwing it out because it was soooo gooey!! I was disappointed. The only thing I changed was instead of almond butter I used regular butter (not nuts for me right now). I will try again! FYI – the Get Up and Go Muffins are wonderful (I just found I had to bake a little longer), nice with some butter on top!!

          • Sarah,

            Sorry it didn’t work out for you! I have a feeling that the butter was a contributing factor because it would turn to pure oil when heated. Nut Butters have added protein in it for a more solid texture. You can try sunflower seed butter if you can do seeds but not nuts?

    • I also found that is like pumpkin pie filling…the inside is really mosit, like the inside of pumpkin pie….Like spoonful said, just try baking it a little longer and see what happens..this is a really yummy snack..im acutally feasting on it right now with almond butter and bananas

  36. Hello Alex. I just had to write again. I tried the recipe again this evening (10/30/10) and OMG, it is delicious. The sweet taste of success! My error was the use of Ener-G instead of the eggs your recipe called for. In today’s attempt, I used Egg Beaters Egg Whites and the result was amazing. My wife and I both really enjoyed it. Amazing when one follows the recipe.

    A couple of questions…
    1. Your recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of Chia Gel. I used 3 tablespoons of chia seeds and then added, per your recipe, 9 tablespoons of water. The end result was perfect Chia Gel, but a lot more than 3 tablespoons worth. Was your intent to for one to use 3 tablespoons of the Chia Gel (which is what I did — I discarded the excess) or should I have used all the Chia Gel from the results 3 tablespoons of Chia Seeds?

    2. Same question related to the ground flax. I started with 3 tablespoons of flax seeds and then ground them. The result was a bit more than 3 tablespoons of ground flax. Was your intent for one to use 3 tablespoons of ground flax (what I did) or should I have used all the ground flax that resulted from grinding the 3 tablespoons of flax seeds?

    3. Do you have any other similar recipes to share (bread w/o flour)? For variety, any suggestions around substitutions for the pumpkin?

    Alex this recipe is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Howard

    • Hi Howard! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! For your questions…

      1. Sorry, I meant 3 Tablespoons of the *gel (*which would be 1 tablespoon of chia per 3 tablespoons water). I use chia gel a lot as a good substitute for eggs because they puff up and hold things together. I also pour the gel into my morning drink because chia is a really good hydrator and it helps balance blood sugar throughout the day. I know someone who will drink it before every meal, and it helps her blood sugar problems. Personally, I don’t think they really tastes that much, but I like the texture of the little bubbles (kind of like bubble tea!) 2. When I buy flax, I usually just grind a big batch myself, and keep them in the fridge. This way, I can just pull the container of ground flax out, and sprinkle it on the food I need. In this case, I used 3 tablespoons of already ground flax-not 3 tablespoons of whole flax seeds. 3. I have had a couple people ask me if I had any other grain-free bread recipes-which I am working on right now! I am pretty sure that you can make a grain-free banana bread by substituting mashed bananas for the pumpkin. Or use sweet potato puree, or maybe a zucchini-carrot bread, or applesauce bread, or butternut squash bread. The possibilities are truly endless!

      Honestly, I don’t worry too much about measuring things. If your bread tasted fine with extra flax or chia, then go with it! If you decide you don’t like cinnamon and nutmeg, and would rather put cocoa powder in, try it! If you would rather use sunflower butter or peanut butter, have fun with it! I think of all recipes as a starting point for experiments. I rarely make the same exact recipe twice because I am always trying something new.

      I am so glad you and your wife loved the bread! Thanks for your questions!

      Alex

  38. Holy cow, girl! I can’t believe you came up with this! It looks so amazing! I don’t have chia seeds, so I wonder if I could just do more ground flax?

  39. Dear Alex,

    i want to say thank you first of al:) i aDORE the bitter chocolate,a nd the pumpkin cake:) so delish! but i have got a question for you: my pumpkin cake, while moist, decidedly squat, anf absolutely did not rise. is it because i used too much chia gel? as in, i interpreted your instructions as using 3 chia tablespoons, and yes, i did put in 2-3 tablespoons per tablespoon of chia , but tha tadded up to 9 tablespoons in total.

    i don’t understand what i did wron because i tried both receipes, bot the chocolate and this, and both decidedly refuse to rise 🙁

    • Well, it is kinda part of the body of the bread. Hmmm…what could be substituted…maybe the tofu, like you said, would work? Or perhaps some blended zuchinni? What do you have in mind?

      • Hmm, so it sounds like it probably wouldn’t work. That’s okay, I was just curious. 🙂 Maybe I’ll try zucchini… but I’ll probably just leave it the way it is, haha. You are such a genius, btw!

        Oh, and I made your banana bread last night substituting 3/4 cup processed silken tofu for the eggs, and it totally worked. I ended up baking it for an hour and 20 minutes, but it was actually still not long enough and could have used another 20 minutes. It was late, so I was just content with a gooey quiche instead of a bread, hehe. So yeah, if anyone asks, blending up 3/4 block of silken tofu in your food processor and measuring out 3/4 cup totally substitutes the eggs. Just bake it for longer–almost double the time. 🙂

  42. I like the idea of adding the pumpkin puree. A lot of times when I make grain free bread, it ends up being too dry. But I bet the pumpkin puree would keep it moist. I’ll have to try this.

  45. You could describe this bread more as a light, fluffy pumpkin mousse with a crunchy crust. It is delicious, but just doesn’t have the dense texture of legitimate bread. I added 1 teaspoon of baking soda and I do think it helped the bread rise a little more. If you are a sugar and chocolate lover, like me, you can add 1/2 of chocolate chips. It still a pretty healthy loaf, just with a little more sweetness. Not sugar free, but an option for those that are not on a sugar free diet.

  46. I’ve been searching for a grain free bread that doesn’t just replace wheat flour with nut or coconut flour. This just may work…..What do you think about substituting the pumpkin puree with squash puree or zucchini puree?

    • I haven’t personally tried zucchini or squash, but you could definitely give it a shot! If you do, let me know how it works out.

  47. I’ve just had to cut out sugar, juices, dried fruits, and basically anything that’s sweet. And with fall approaching and a deep obsession with all things pumpkin, it’s been hard. And I’m seriously tearing up just looking at this recipe and ALL your recipes. You are amazing and have just made my life that much better. THANK YOU! I hope you are SERIOUSLY blessed for all the work you’ve done here, because you’ve just become a serious blessing to me.

  48. Hi there, I know this recipe was posted a while ago, but I found a sugar-free pumpkin pie recipe, its crustless, so its GF as well… thought I would share with you… Its from the Well Fed Homestead blog, she shares heaps of GAPS recipes, I’m going to try it right after I’ve finished baking your pumpkin bread!
    http://www.wellfedhomestead.com/gaps-legal-pumpkin-pie
    Best wishes
    Emma X

  49. My son can’t have flax is there something else I could use instead of the flax?
    BTW- I just found your blog a few weeks ago and love the recipes-so thank you!

  52. I just baked this bread. I was short 1 egg so I ended up baking it with just 2 eggs but without changing the amounts of the other ingredients. I thought 1 less egg would make little to no difference, but maybe I was wrong.

    It turned out flat and soggy on the inside, just the same that the banana bread did when I baked it with 6 chia ‘eggs’ instead of 3 tbs chia gel + 3 eggs. It looks like using less egg than required or none at all results in soggy bread. I thought chia gel was supposed to be a decent substitute for egg, so maybe I’m not making it properly and the gel didn’t have the right texture.

    I think another problem was my pumpkin puree. I roasted a butternut squash for lunch and used the leftover squash for this recipe. Maybe it was overcooked and too watery. What’s the ideal consistency of pumpkin puree for this?

Trackbacks

  10. […] So I figured making breakfast-for-the-week was my best solution.  I decided to try Alex’s Grain Free Pumpkin Spice bread .  Spoonful of Sugar Free has so many amazing recipes that I can’t wait to try and all the […]