Gluten Free

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pear Coffeecake with an Almond Streusel Topping

I grow and cook my own pumpkins. And I enjoy using pumpkin in a number of ways, such as in Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones. And in pumpkin bread. But after years of making “regular” pumpkin breads, I wanted to “oomph” up my pumpkin bread recipe. So after considering and experimenting with various changes, I decided to try adding pears, since I had some. And I am so glad I did! I was surprised how wonderfully well pumpkin and pears go together. And the streusel topping adds the perfect finishing touch!

I made this as 2 loaves. However, it works equally well if made as jumbo muffins or in a cake pan.

The Inside Scoop

This is a fairly straightforward recipe. I just have a few inside comments:

When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.

A stand mixer is one of a gluten free baker’s best friends.

This recipe was made using My Gluten Free Flour Mix. Due to the varying characteristics of gluten free flours, other gluten free flour mixes are not guaranteed to work.

Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs.

This recipe can be made as 11 jumbo muffins, as an 8″ x 8″ coffeecake or as two 4″ x 8″ loaf coffeecakes. For jumbo muffins, spray the cupcake liners with a non-stick cooking spray. Spray metal cake-pans with non-stick cooking spray and then line the bottom and 2 ends with parchment paper. For loaf pans, spray with non-stick cooking spray and then line the loaf pans with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment paper on the ends to form “handles.”

I grow my own pumpkins and cook them; that way, I can control how much water is left in the pumpkin. If you are using commercially canned pumpkin, you will probably need to drain off the excess water. Too much water in the pumpkin will make the loaves difficult to bake and possibly cause them to collapse. This is also true for pumpkin cookies, cheesecakes and pies.

To drain the excess water from the pumpkin, fill a jelly bag with the pumpkin and place the bag and bag holder over a bowl. Let the excess water drain off until the pumpkin is no longer watery and will hold a shape but is not dry. I often speed this along by gently squeezing the bag to remove the excess water.

If you do not have a jelly bag, line a sieve with several layers of cheesecloth. Place the pumpkin on the cheesecloth and let it drain until it is no longer watery and holds a shape without being dry.

The wooden “toothpick” test to check for doneness typically does not work with gluten free baked goods. An instant read thermometer is an essential part of gluten free baking. Gluten free baked goods should typically be baked to 210-215 degrees. If an instant read thermometer is not available, use a metal cake tester.

Do not add the streusel topping if you will be freezing this bread/coffeecake. When thawed, previously frozen streusel topping has a decidedly unpleasant appearance.

If you are using streusel topping, sprinkle the streusel lightly over the top of the batter; distribute evenly over the surface. Avoid clumps of streusel; clumps of streusel will sink into the coffeecake.

This is a very high-rising loaf. Do not fill pans more than 3/4 full.

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Pear Bread

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An extremely moist, flavorful, high-rising bread packed with pumpkin and pears and topped with a wonderful almond streusel. And your friends will be shocked that it's Gluten Free!

Ingredients

Bread Ingredients:

310 g./ 2 c. My Gluten Free Flour Mix

½ t. Xanthan Gum

300 g./ 1 ½ c. Granulated Sugar

1 1/8 t. Baking Soda

1 1/8 t. Baking Powder

½ t. Salt

1 t. Cardamom

1 ¼ t. Cinnamon

4 Large Eggs

180ml./ ¾ c. Canola Oil

250 g./ 1 c. Cooked, Mashed or Pureed Pumpkin or canned pumpkin, drained of excess water

3 T. Pure Maple Syrup

90 ml./ 3/8 c./ 6 T. Buttermilk, shaken

250 g. (2 – 3) Fresh Pears, pared and chopped (Do NOT use frozen or canned pears.)

Streusel Topping Ingredients (opt.):

21 g./ 1 ½ T. Butter, Cold

72 g./ 3/8 c. Granulated Sugar

1 ½ t. Cinnamon

1 ½ t. Cardamom

12 g./ 1 ½ T. Sliced or Slivered Almonds

Instructions

1

In a medium bowl, combine My Gluten Free Flour Mix, xanthan gum, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon. Whisk together; set aside.

2

Pare and core the pears. Chop. Measure out 250 grams of pear, place chopped pears in a small bowl and set aside.

3

If the pumpkin appears watery, line a sieve with cheesecloth, place the pumpkin in the cheesecloth and let the excess water drain. OR use a jelly bag and let the excess water drain.

4

Pour the cracked eggs into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer; whisk until foamy. Add the canola oil, prepared pumpkin, pure maple syrup, and buttermilk. With the stand mixer or a hand mixer, mix on slow speed for 1 minute until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients; mix on low speed, or by hand, for 1 minute to combine, then on medium speed for 2 minutes until well mixed.

5

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

6

When you are ready to bake:

7

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8

Spray 2 7 ½” x 3 ¾” x 2 ¼” (10 x 10 x 6 cm) loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. (You can also use one 9.25’ x 5.25” x 2.5: loaf pan, multiple smaller pans, muffin cups that have been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray, or a cake pan.) Line the bottom and short ends with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment paper on the short ends to create “handles.” If possible, when making large loaves, double the loaf pans to prevent excess browning on the bottom.

9

Place all streusel ingredients into a small food processor; pulse until ingredients are combined but still granular.

10

Pour pumpkin pear batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with the prepared streusel, spreading the streusel evenly over the surface of the bread.

11

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 60 minutes or until an instant read thermometer, when inserted into the middle of the bread, reads 210-215 degrees. (If an instant read thermometer is not available, use a metal cake tester. Bread is done when the metal cake tester slides out easily and is clean.) Adjust the baking time as needed for larger or smaller loaves.

12

Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan by taking the flat end of a knife and running it down the long sides to check they are not sticking. Then use the parchment “handles” to lift the bread out of the pan and place onto the cooling rack. Cool completely.

13

Enjoy!

14

Note: Do not apply streusel if you plan to freeze the bread. The streusel will have a decidedly unpleasant appearance when thawed.