Gingerbread Two Ways

Matthew and I have been enjoying our Advent Calendar activities. Matthew looks forward to opening the Advent Calendar door and unfolding the little piece of paper every day. I found little clip art photos to represent each activity so that he can recognize what we are doing without the need for me to read the activity out loud… even though I always do. 😉

Each day we talk about how God sent his son, Jesus, to save us. I honestly think Matthew understands that this simple activity is actually very important to keeping us centered this Christmas season. He is so darn cute!

Wednesday’s activity was to bake a few loaves of healthy gingerbread and give a loaf to either set of Grandparents. I was running low on gluten-free flours, so I decided to bake one gluten-free loaf for us to enjoy as a treat this weekend and two whole wheat loaves for the Grandparents.

In the photo below the gluten-free loaf is on the left and the whole wheat loaf is on the right.

The gluten-free loaf browned much quicker than the whole wheat loaf. It also rose quite a bit more. The texture is dense, soft and crumbly.

The whole wheat loaf was gooey, soft and pliable. I do not have photos of the interior of the whole wheat loaf, as I didn’t feel it was appropriate for me to dissect the loaves I was gifting. 🙂

The texture of the loaves could be attributed to the pans that I used… glass for gluten-free and metal for whole wheat. Does anyone have any insight?

I used homemade pumpkin puree in these recipes, so you could see the a little bit of the pumpkin texture throughout the loaf, which I loved! If you’re not a fan of pumpkin, do not fret! You cannot taste the pumpkin at all. And if you use canned pumpkin, it will be completely undetectable.

The cut photos below are of the gluten-free loaf.

Perfect slathered with a lot of pumpkin butter. Pumpkin butter recipe coming soon!

The crumb of the gluten-free loaf was very similar to loaves that I have enjoyed at coffee shops like Starbucks and Caribou. Honestly, this was one of the best loaves of sweet quick bread I have ever tasted.

My father-in-law said that the whole wheat loaf tasted like a gingersnap cookie, but soft, which was exactly what I was going for!

After baking three loaves of gingerbread their intoxicating aroma lingered for days. I love the smell of gingerbread… warm, inviting, comforting, spicy, Christmas. This bread is all of that wrapped into a beautiful, healthy loaf of quick bread.

As you will notice, the recipes below are very similar – the only difference is the flour used. Do not be thrown off by the pumpkin in this recipe. You will not be able to taste it. It is simply added for texture. If you do not have pumpkin, you can substitute an additional 3/4 cup applesauce or 1 cup pureed squash or sweet potato.

Gluten-Free Clean Eating Gingerbread inspired by Tosca Reno
A low-fat, low-sugar, whole grain, gluten-free loaf of sweet, spicy gingerbread. Make a double batch to share with your friends and relatives. Freezes well, simply wrap the cooled loaf in two layers of plastic wrap and then in two layers of tin foil. Place in a labeled freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge.

Print this recipe.

1/2 cup sucanat
2 organic eggs
1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree
1/4 cup sunflower oil or melted coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup kefir, buttermilk, whey or organic milk soured with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp each: sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, all spice
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour an 8×4 loaf pan.

In a medium-sized bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together wet ingredients (sucanat, eggs, pumpkin, oil, applesauce, molasses and kefir).

In a bowl combine dry ingredients (flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt and spices).

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not over stir.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out relatively clean and the loaf feels cooked through.

Either recipe can easily be made vegan. Simply omit the eggs and add 2 tbsp ground flaxseed to the dry ingredients and 4 tbsp additional nondairy milk to the wet ingredients. For milk use any nondairy milk soured with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar.

Because of the crumbly nature of either loaf, it is best to use a serrated bread knife for slicing in a back and forth sawing motion.

Bread will keep up to a week in the fridge, wrapped with a paper towel and stored in an airtight glass container or plastic bag.

Whole Grain Clean Eating Gingerbread inspired by Tosca Reno
A low-fat, low-sugar, whole grain, gluten-free loaf of sweet, spicy gingerbread. Make a double batch to share with your friends and relatives. Freezes well, simply wrap the cooled loaf in two layers of plastic wrap and then in two layers of tin foil. Place in a labeled freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Print this recipe.

1/2 cup sucanat
2 organic eggs
1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree
1/4 cup sunflower oil or melted coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup kefir, buttermilk, whey or organic milk soured with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown rice flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp each: sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, all spice
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour an 8×4 loaf pan.

In a medium-sized bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together wet ingredients (sucanat, eggs, pumpkin, oil, applesauce, molasses and kefir).

In a bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, sea salt and spices).

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not over stir.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out relatively clean and the loaf feels cooked through.

Either recipe can easily be made vegan. Simply omit the eggs and add 2 tbsp ground flaxseed to the dry ingredients and 4 tbsp additional nondairy milk to the wet ingredients. For milk use any nondairy milk soured with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar.

Because of the crumbly nature of either loaf, it is best to use a serrated bread knife for slicing in a back and forth sawing motion.

Bread will keep up to a week in the fridge, wrapped with a paper towel and stored in an airtight glass container or plastic bag.