It's getting to be that time of the year and we're beginning to be bombarded by pumpkin [affiliate link] this and pumpkin that. Pumpkin pies, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin ice cream smoothies, pumpkin bread. Since you're doing GAPS, does that mean you have to be left out? No! This pumpkin bread is my answer to your cravings. I taste tested this recipe at my job and the overwhelming response was “Oh, this is so moist!”
It was so delicious I ate nearly half of it before I banned it to the refrigerator so that I could take it to work and share with everyone.
Please note that I list name brands because I want you to know exactly what products I used in case your recipe doesn't turn out exactly the same it could be due to using a different brand. For example, I find that Tropical Traditions coconut flour [affiliate link] seems to be more finely ground, more like flour, than other brands, and it is also moister, depending on how long I've had it. If first learned about flour and aging and moistness and dryness with regular wheat flour when making flour tortillas. The recipe would use more water depending on how dry the flour had become. I notice the same with coconut flour [affiliate link]. When I first get it from Tropical Traditions, it clumps and has a smooth moist quality to it. If I keep it tightly sealed and in the freezer, it maintains this moist quality. However, if I happen to leave the bag open and sitting on the counter a few days, it will dry out. Coconut flour requires a lot of liquid ingredients to start with, and if the product is more dry, the recipe can turn out dramatically different. I used the honey from Tropical Traditions as well, and it is so thick and smooth and creamy I wonder if it is sweeter than typical honey. At any rate, I'm very pleased that this fairly large loaf only contains 1/2 cup of honey.
Once mixed, the batter for this recipe is somewhat like cookie dough, but a bit more fluffy in texture.
By the way, I learned several years ago that most canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash! Feel free to use pumpkin or any winter squash in this recipe. You can find an easy to print recipe format at the bottom of this post.
Wet Ingredients:
1-3/4 cup baked cooled butternut squash (or pumpkin, or winter squash)
½ cup Tropical Traditions coconut oil, melted*
½ cup Tropical Traditions raw, organic honey*
6 whole large eggs
1 cup carrots, peeled, shredded and riced (3 large carrots)
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup Tropical Traditions coconut flour*
1 teaspoon sea salt [affiliate link]
1 teaspoon baking soda [affiliate link]**
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon [affiliate link]
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg [affiliate link]
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice [affiliate link]
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves [affiliate link]
The winter squash should be baked ahead of time. Remove stem from squash, cut in half. Remove seeds and strings using a melon baller. Lie face down in a large flat casserole dish and bake at 350°F until fork tender. This will take about 30 minutes. Scrape the flesh from the skin and cool. At this point I like to portion into one cup amounts and freeze for later use.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Grease a glass loaf pan (I used this one: Pyrex 213 Glass 1.5 Quart Loaf Bakeware Dish – 8 1/2 inches x 4 1/2 inches x 2 1/2 inches) and line with Unbleached Parchment Paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper. This makes removing the loaf simple and ensures that it will remain intact.
The ingredients in this recipe will blend together best if everything is at room temperature; otherwise, the coconut oil [affiliate link] may clump.
In a large mixing bowl place squash, 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup honey and eggs. Using a mixer, whip until all ingredients are mixed together thoroughly.
Peel 3 carrots. Shred and place in food processor, pulsing until the carrots are in very small pieces, similar to rice. Add the raw carrots to the wet ingredients.
In one bowl place all the dry ingredients. Mix together with a whisk so that the spices are mixed throughout.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, using your mixer blend together until thoroughly mixed. The mixture will thicken as the coconut flour absorbs the fluids.
Allow to set for 5 minutes.
Spoon the thick batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Ideally your batter fills the loaf pan right to the top, it will rise just a small amount, about 1/2″.
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until browned on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
I also used my thermometer to test for doneness and the outer wall of the loaf was at 209°F while the middle was at 190°F.
Allow to rest about 10 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack.
- Loving Our Guts Pumpkin Bread (Low Oxalate Diet, GAPS Friendly)
- Nourished and Nurtured Pumpkin Pie Clafoutis
- Nourished and Nurtured Pumpkin Spice Bread
- Loving Our Guts Pumpkin Spice Dairy-Free Coffee Creamer
- Eat Nourishing Thai Red Curry Pumpkin Soup
This post has been included at GAPS Friendly Friday #15 at The Liberated Kitchen.
This recipe has been included at Fat Tuesday.
- Wet Ingredients:
- 1-3/4 cup baked cooled butternut squash (or pumpkin, or winter squash)
- ½ cup Tropical Traditions coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup Tropical Traditions raw, organic honey
- 6 whole large eggs
- 1 cup carrots, peeled, shredded and riced (3 large carrots)
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup Tropical Traditions coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- The winter squash should be baked ahead of time. Remove stem from squash, cut in half. Remove seeds and strings using a melon baller. Lie face down in a large flat casserole dish and bake at 350°F until fork tender. This will take about 30 minutes. Scrape the flesh from the skin and cool. At this point I like to portion into one cup amounts and freeze for later use.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Grease a glass loaf pan 8.5" x 4.5" x 2.5" (1.5 quart), and line with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper. This makes removing the loaf simple and ensures that it will remain intact.
- The ingredients in this recipe will blend together best if everything is at room temperature; otherwise, the coconut oil may clump.
- In a large mixing bowl place squash, ½ cup coconut oil, ½ cup honey and eggs. Using a mixer, whip until all ingredients are mixed together thoroughly.
- Peel 3 carrots. Shred and place in food processor, pulsing until the carrots are in very small pieces, similar to rice. Add the carrots to the wet ingredients.
- In one bowl place all the dry ingredients. Mix together with a whisk so that the spices are mixed throughout.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, using your mixer blend together until thoroughly mixed. The mixture will thicken as the coconut flour absorbs the fluids.
- Allow to set for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the thick batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Ideally your batter fills the loaf pan right to the top, it will rise just a small amount, about ½".
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until browned on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- I also used my thermometer to test for doneness and the outer wall of the loaf was at 209°F while the middle was at 190°F.
- Allow to rest about 10 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack.
If you love desserts like this, I have two cookbooks you really need to check out ASAP! Naturally Sweetened Treats for gluten-free dessert needs and Baker's Dozen Volume 2 Pumpkin Treats.
Hi Starlene,
I’ve been reading your blog posts/pod casts since few months ago, and your stories are very inspiring. I have severe eczema and cfs now but healing with anticandida GAPs diet-no fruits, No starch veggies, egg, and honey etc.
Since I have serious binge eating disorder, I found out that fruits and honey
will trigger more carb cravings. Thankfully dreadful depression and brain fog
have been gone since I implemented my VLC diet plan
I know,recently,that you have followed Dr.Kruse leptin reset plan. How did it work for you so far?
I just wondered that fewer carb load gave me mental sharpness and less depression. 🙂 and I am glad that you had same benefits with this dietary changes.
Hi Geo, I’m glad you are finding help from GAPS! Have you ever looked into fructose malabsorption? It sounds like you could problem with fructose or fructans. I wrote a post here that touches on this: https://gapsdietjourney.com/2012/09/fructose-malabsorption/ When I did the leptin reset the first time last year I was very pleased with it, although I did start eating more carbs after 3 months. This time I have not been faithfully counting carbohydrates but I am just trying to make a point to stay low. I have stuck with the 50 grams protein for breakfast all along though as that seems to help me to avoid hunger during the day. I can even intermittent fast now and skip lunch without any negative side effects (used to get irritable, brain fog, nervous, shaky if I tried that!). Thanks for sharing your experience!
For the carrots, are they cooked?. I have a ricer, haven’t used it but it seems that the carrots would need to be cooked to be able to rice them. .
Hi Susan, you could cook the carrots, but I pulsed the raw carrots in my food processor until they were in little bitty pieces. I have added the word “raw” into the part of the recipe at this section to hopefully make it more clear. I hope this helps. Thanks for visiting!
Beautiful quickbread and good for everyone. It ticks all the boxes no matter who’s coming over for tea. 🙂
Thanks, Maureen! 🙂
Hi Starlene! I’m wondering, to substitute stevia for the honey, what types of things could I used to replace the liquid in the honey? I think I would have to or the recipe would turn out too dry?
Thanks!
Hi Kathy, you might have to try a couple of variations but the first I’d suggest would be to use 2 cups of pumpkin instead of 1-3/4. See if that works. I know it’s only 1/4 cup more but I think it might work out. If the batter seems to dry, maybe add one more egg. Hope this helps!