There seems to be a lot of interest in gluten free recipes these days. Some may say that it’s a “Hollywood Thing“… you know, a health craze, a fad, the thing to do! Others recognize that it’s a very real situation that many people need to pay attention to. Eating gluten can make some people feel sick, others have bodies that simply cannot tolerate gluten, and still others have Celiac Disease, a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people with a need for finding gluten free food. That’s why I include some options on RecipeGirl. I love my gluten-free readers just as much as my gluten-eating readers. Today, I’m featuring Gluten Free Pumpkin Cornbread.
I have a regular ‘ol full-o’-gluten Pumpkin Cornbread that I’ve made for years now. It’s great, and I we love to eat it with Pumpkin Chili too. So I took that recipe and messed with it (using Jeanne’s recommended blend of GF flours) to create a gluten free version.
And guess what? It tasted the same!
No kidding, no foolin’ and no joshin’ ya… absolutely no one that I fed this gluten free cornbread to (adults and kids alike) could tell that there was anything off-kilter about it. It tasted… like Pumpkin Cornbread! Yahoo!
I bake pretty much constantly, but this whole gluten free baking thing is kinda sorta new to me. The flours have always baffled me. I never know whether to use one of those “blends” that they sell… that are supposed to work in place of regular flour (those never turn out so great for me, by the way), but with the advice of a wonderful online gluten-free friend– I’ve found a blend of flours that is working out great for all of my gluten-free baking. So if you’re gluten-free, or if you know someone who is gluten free, or if you’re spending Thanksgiving with someone who is gluten free, or if you just want to check out this whole gluten-free thing… this would be a great recipe to try. I think you’ll be as pleased with the results as we were. Of course, a little butter and honey drizzled on top never hurts 🙂
P.S. My Pumpkin Chili recipe is gluten free too!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cornbread
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons brown rice flour
- 5 tablespoons white rice flour
- 3 tablespoons tapioca (starch) flour
- 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup cornmeal (gluten free)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon molasses
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8 or 9 inch square pan with nonstick spray.
- Sift flours, baking powder, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the cornmeal.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.
- Make a well in the dry mixture. Add pumpkin mixture and stir the batter with a few quick strokes to incorporate the dry into the wet. Stir just until blended (don't over mix, or it could result in a tougher bread).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. (Check at 25 minutes, and add additional minutes, as necessary).
Notes
- Bob's Red Mill makes gluten free cornmeal.
- This pumpkin cornbread is terrific with chili, and it would also make a wonderful Thanksgiving side dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the info, Lori. I tried this yesterday and the taste was good but the texture wasn’t quite right. I used Jeanne’s AP flour mix but didn’t chill it beforehand (which I’m told can help with grainy-ness of rice flours). I made smaller mini-versions with a dessert bar pan, and because of that I didn’t cook them as long, but I think in hindsight it should probably cook close to the same amount of time, possibly with a bit more wet ingredients (water/baking powder slurry, or applesauce?) at a slightly lower temperature, maybe 375. Your suggestion of not over-mixing looks like it came over from the gluten version of the cornbread; is it still the right thing to do for the GF version? (Since it doesn’t have gluten that will toughen and bind with agitation, it seems like GF batters are a little more tolerant to mixing) I think lack of mixing might have made it harder for the rice flour to absorb enough of the liquid in my trial. If I have time, I’ll give it another shot tonight with modifications and let you know how it turns out. 🙂 [I did take experiment 1 to work with me today and my GF co-worker enjoyed it 🙂 ]
Gotcha. Why not make it the way it is written? We had great success with it!
For the recipe: would it work the same with the GF flour recipe that Jeanne lists on her site? (eg, the ratio is 5-5-3-3 in yours while hers is 5-5-4-4, and your recipe doesn’t have xanthan gum added… is it okay because it’s moist enough, with the pumpkin, to avoid being crumbly?). Thanks.
Not sure… I used her combination of flours for inspiration, and I loved the way my recipe turned out. I haven’t tried it specifically with her flour blend.
I made this last night to go with chili and WOW!! It was great!! I did not use all the different GF flours you have listed, I only used an AP Gf flour and the tapioca starch.
I ate this with my chili and I took your advice and drizzled some honey on top and that was my dessert 🙂
Thank you SO MUCH!!
I am thrilled to see you including GF recipes and appropriate use by those in need. I lived on a GF diet for 20 years, only to find out that I (fortunately) only had to be on a Wheat Free diet, which is restrictive enough. I cannot emphasize enough that a GF diet used long term by those who don’t need it can be equally or even more dangerous to one’s health. Our bodies need whole grains to function properly, and by restricting it to less than it needs causes our health problems. If you don’t need the food restriction, enjoy it occasionally or for a temporary assist when having some health issues, but don’t live on it. It can do you more harm than good.
I just saw this hit FG. Congrats.
Not sure how I missed it the first time around but it looks…amazing! YUM!
My daughter and I made the GF version for dessert tonight. It was great and so easy to make! My husband is already talking about having it again for breakfast. It would also be good with real maple syrup or some candied pumpkin seeds on top.
Thank you Lori! I went GF myself 1 month ago (celiac symptoms). This sounds wonderful! Now I want some chili and this cornbread. =)
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what is the recipe? Is it the same as the regular pumpkin cornbread but with 1 cup of the GF flour mix?
Hi Elizabeth- Oy! I attached the actual recipe now. This will certainly help 😉
I’m new to this GF thing and that looks good. Going to try it, hopefully it will turn out better than the GF brownies I tried to make. Got any good GF brownie recipies? 🙂 Thanks for keeping us GF people in mind!
I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving! I’m gluten-free and always on the lookout for good recipes. Thanks so much!!