Friday, October 21, 2011

Grain-free Unsweetened Primal Pumpkin Bread.


One of the cool things about Blogger is that I can see what people are searching for on my blog. These past few weeks one of the most popular searches involved PUMPKIN! Must be that time of year! Which makes the timing of this post perfect :)


This past Sunday night I was feeling antsy, and I quickly diagnosed myself specifically with baking antsy. There's really only one remedy for baking antsy and that's... baking!

Baking antsy: a phenomenon in which an individual must bake something immediately to release creative juices and simultaneously make a delicious product

Can you see the flecks of cinnamon and nutmeg?

Have you experienced this before? Fortunately for those in my house, this is not an entirely rare occurrence for me, but on the other hand it's not grossly common either (both of which are probably good ;). One reason why I enjoy cooking so much is the creative aspect. Going to the kitchen, pulling out the mixing bowls and getting something into action and watching to see the turn out is fun. Blogging about it is like sharing the fun, which allows YOU to bake the fun later. What a happy way of viewing baking!


Grain-free Unsweetened Primal Pumpkin Bread.
   makes one medium loaf pan (~4x8)

    1 cup  blanched almond flour
    1/2 cup  organic coconut flour
    3 happy eggs - mine were large
    1/2 cup  coconut oil - mine was spreadable soft, soften on the stove top if your's is rock solid
    1 1/2 cups  pumpkin puree
    1 tsp  baking soda
    1/2 tsp  sea salt
    1 Tbsp  raw apple cider vinegar
    1 tsp  ground nutmeg
    1 Tbsp  cinnamon
    2 tsp  vanilla
    20 drops  clear stevia
    5 drops  vanilla stevia
    Water as needed - probably about 1 cup
    Coconut and almonds, for topping, optional


To make your unsweetened pumpkin bread:
    1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. My oven in my apartment is NOT convection (at least, I think so since there isn't a blower).
    2.  In a large bowl, add almond and coconut flours, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, whisking to combine.
    3.  In the center of the bowl, add eggs, coconut oil, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar and stevia, mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula. Mixture will have a thick "pate" like consistency.
    4.  Add water to batter to make more fluid. Batter should appear like cake batter, not too runny but not too stiff. Remember coconut flour likes moisture, but too much will affect the action of the leavening agents and prohibit adequate rising height from being acheived.
    5.  Pour the silky pumpkin batter into a medium sized (this is key) glass loaf pan. DON'T forget to GREASE the sides using either coconut oil, butter or olive oil. This time I used olive oil. Pay special attention to the bottom of the pan.
    6.  Smooth out the top, and if desired sprinkle finely shredded coconut and push in some almonds along the top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until top begins to brown. Check for doneness with a cake pick. Return to oven with a foil tent for a remaining 10-20 minutes until middle is well cooked. Keep an eye on it, overcooked bread is hard to enjoy and undercooked bread is just soggy!


Overall, I was very pleased with this recipe... how it rose, the texture and mouthfeel of the bread, the color and appearance. The first recipe came out a little on the salty side, so I've decreased the amount of salt here. Next time if I have some molasses on hand, I might add a tablespoon of that; I also want to add some ginger and allspice, but didn't have any in my pantry.

Look at the texture!

I am pleased to finally present recipe for us grain-free individuals who want to watch our sugar intake!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Grain-free Pumpkin Lasagne And An Update

It's been a while since I posted. I am back at school and am busy.

Here's a lightening fast update:

1. I live in an apartment now, not a dorm and that means I CAN COOK my own meals!

2. This vegetable lasagne was one of my latest. It features layers of spinach, cabbage, onion, pumpkin, ricotta cheese, mozarella cheese, organic ground beef and fresh italian herbs.

"Lasagne" - Primal/grain-free, gluten-free, soy-free, full of cheese and veggies and meat, complete with one side "ketchuped"
Here's a mini view of the kitchen - notice the saurkraut fermenting in the background!




3. The recipe is coming!

I miss blogging, but don't worry I am still here!
More frequent posts are hopefully in the near future :) Currently I am swimming in microbiology, genetics and several other fun classes.

❤ ♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡