Oh Yum, this delicious bread is so moist and chocolaty! Pumpkin puree gives it a nice richness, and cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger add a mild but lovely spiciness. This is my first time baking with chickpea based gluten-free flour and I’m really happy with the texture and flavor.
I discovered this wonderful recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Bread while reading Gwen’s Delightful Adventures blog. She recommended using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour with the red label so that’s what I used.
Yummy yes, but how does this Chocolaty goodness stack up health-wise?
I was curious how this flour compared with Spelt (which I use a lot), and all-purpose Wheat. The main difference is fiber. Both Spelt and Bob’s Gluten-Free have 4 grams of fiber in 1/4 cup, while all-purpose Wheat has only 1 gram. Fiber helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, so it’s good for the heart as well as digestive health. It’s something I always look for on the nutrition label.
Both soluble and insoluble fiber are good…
For perspective, a cup of cooked oatmeal has about 4 grams of fiber, and a serving of this Chocolate Pumpkin Bread has 5 grams. The fiber in vegetables and grains is insoluble fiber, while oats, beans, nuts and fruit contain soluble fiber. Both kinds are beneficial for our hearts!
This Bob’s Gluten-Free flour also contains Sorghum, another ancient grain that’s heart-healthy because of its high fiber content as well as some complex phytochemicals.
“Make pumpkin bread as the default gift for everyone. It is cheap, it is beloved, it is carbs.” ~ Karen Bender
Pumpkin has a fantastic range of health benefits! It’s a good source of potassium which helps blood pressure, but it’s best known for beta-carotene–a powerful antioxidant that can help protect against heart disease.
And then of course there’s chocolate which contains flavanols, a type of flavanoid. In addition to having antioxidant qualities, research shows flavanols have the potential to benefit our hearts by lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow, and making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot.
So there’s a lot of goodness in this dark and delicious treat! And it’s crazy-good if you warm it slightly before devouring. ๐
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsps ground flax seed
- 6 Tbsps water
- 1 ¾ cups Gluten Free Flour Blend
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar*
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ tsps cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree, unsweetened
- ½ cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened (I used cashew)
- 2 tsps vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease a 5"x9" loaf pan (unless you're using a non-stick).
- Whisk together the ground flax seed and water--set aside to thicken.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, pumpkin puree, milk, vanilla and flax mixture.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and blend well.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour into your loaf pan and sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Baking times may vary depending on your oven and bakeware.)
- Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool on the rack until completely cooled. (If you try to slice it before it has cooled completely, it may crumble.)
Notes
This recipe recommends using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour with the Red Label.
*Why coconut sugar? It has a lower Glycemic Index score than table sugar, contains trace amounts of phytonutrients and antioxidants, and also contains some inulin–a prebiotic that can be good for the gut.
Coming Soon…
So what’s next? Ta-Da! I just finished recipe testing ~ Pistachio Oat Bars with Chocolate Drizzle ~ that we’re loving! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Fix it! Plan Photos by: Bill Peterson Galleries 
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