Peter, Peter the Celiac Pumpkin Eater

If Peter were Celiac he would die over this Pumpkin Bread, and not because it is full of gluten but because it is a pumpkin eater's dream.
Every fall when I was away at Ohio University I use to anticipate the arrival of the annual 100lb brown box from my good friend, Marsha, in Toledo. As soon as I picked it up I new it must be the pumpkin bread! She did send two loafs at a time so each loaf only weighted 50lbs; 50 lbs of wonderful pumpkin bliss.
I finally asked her for the recipe, which was actually her mom's, so that I could share the joy and make it for others; a pumpkin bread chain of kindness if you will. So I knew that this bread couldn't possibly be any where near nutritious and darn straight it wasn't. All of my suspicions were confirmed upon seeing the recipe face to face. How was I going to maintain the integrity of the recipe but turn it into something that I could still bake for others without turning my chain of kindness into a wrecking ball, leaving a malicious trail of insulin resistance.
Here's what I did: took out the gluten, reduced the amount of fat, swapped out a healthier oil for the "veg oil,"reduced the amount of sugar, swapped out less refined sugars for the white sugar, and used real pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin Bread

3 c. Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose G.F. Flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. + 2 T cane sugar
1 1/4 c. + 2 T sucanot
4 eggs
3/4 c + 2 T melted coconut oil
1 c + 2T homemade pumpkin pie puree*
1 c + 2 T water
1 c pecans (cheaper option would be walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 9x5 loaf pans.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
Put sugars and eggs into the bowl of a mixer (or into a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer.) Beat until eggs are pale yellow and the mixture has thickened. With mixer running on low, add the coconut oil slowly into the egg and sugar mixture. Beat for 1 minute, until combined. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Next add the pumpkin and mix just until combined. With the mixer off, add the dry ingredients and nuts into the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on low and mix just until the flour is incorporated into the egg/pumpkin/sugar mixture. Slowly add the water with the mixer on low, and mix until water is incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it equally amongst the two.
Place pans on a middle rack in the oven, leaving enough room between racks for the bread to rise. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-65 minutes (OH S%$#, you forgot to preheat the oven? That's O.K, never do it again but it will be fine if the batter sits in the pans for a bit while the oven heats. Just don't make a habit of this strategy.)

*Pumpkin pie puree*

This may sound intimidating but it is worth the extra few minutes. The taste of real roasted pumpkin is soooo much better than the canned stuff. Plus you can make a bunch and freeze it to use through winter. Channel your inner pilgrim and preserve fall's bounty!

1 medium sugar pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c maple syrup*
3 T evaporated cane juice*
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400.
Cut the pumpkin in half, through top to bottom (watch your fingers.) Discard the seeds, or save and roast but take them out of the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin half's on a parchment lined baking sheet (this will save you from a messy clean up) and put in the oven. Roast the pumpkin for about 1 hour or until tender.
Allow the pumpkin to cool (not kidding here, hot pumpkin hurts) Then scrap the flesh out of the skin into a food processor, fitted with the blade attachment. Add the remaining ingredients to the pumpkin and process until fully pureed.
Store in air tight containers in the refrigerator or freezer, until ready to use.
*the sweetness of the puree is subjective so if you prefer it to be more or less sweet adjust amounts of sweeteners to suit your needs. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin will also vary so be sure to taste you pumpkin after it's roasted and remember you can always add more sweetener but you can't take it out.

Stayed tuned.........Up next is Fruit Cake and it's not your typical brick like loaf over flowing with green candied fruit chunks. It's really all the delight of Christmas in a cake.

Sister Kristen

I am not a real "sister," like a sister of the church (this sentence probably makes it clear that I don't know much about the church) but I am a sister in the sense that I do have a brother and since my name is Kristen, I am Sister Kristen.
When I was finally allowed to get a 13" t.v. in my bedroom I did not pick up many stations with my rabbit ears, but I did get the major networks and PBS. This is when I discovered Julia Child and Father Dominic. I found great entertainment in watching these programs. At first I think I just chose to watch because it was neither golf nor basketball and my options were severely limited but then it became more. I had profound respect for these masters, and for the subtle, almost dull fashion with which their expertise was presented. I think I was the only student at McCord Junior High that was watching Breaking Bread with Father Dominic instead of listening to Nirvana and shopping for new flannel shirts.
Jump ahead several years and i find that I have become a gluten free baker. Through several twists and turns I have come up with all these great original recipes and no place sell the final products anymore. Enter Blog. I hope for this to be my outlet to share the crazy world of gluten free baking/cooking that can sometimes seem impossible and overwhelming. I plan on sharing tips and recipes and maybe even sell a few loaves of bread.
Bread is my specialty. Funny, because we all have those things parents say that stick in our heads forever and I will forever hear in my head my dad saying "Man cannot live on bread alone." (often my brother and I use to make a meal out of the squishy inside of dinner rolls.) He was right, the celiac man or autistic child cannot live of bread alone because most of the bread they can eat falls apart on the way into their mouths. Fear not, the gluten free man can once again live on bread alone!