Gluten-Free Christmas Bread

Here I am with a new recipe to enjoy these holidays! Oh man, I'm really in full Christmas mode this year; probably because I've been commissioned to do several festive recipes and they all look blog-worthy to me. So I'm pleased to share with all of you my fellow bakers this delicious Christmas bread which happens to be gluten-free! Yay! I never thought I could get the hang of GF baking...but so far all the recipes I've tried have been more than good, even the first batches.

This is a spiced bread sweet enough to enjoy as a breakfast with almond butter and blueberry jam (try this combo, it's super delish), also simply toasted, but you can even pair it with savory foods like cheese or some herb-garlic cream/mousse. That's what makes it a nice bread to serve at your holiday gatherings, it'll wow your guests for sure.

I love to eat it just as it is because it has a lot of yummy chunks inside and don't really think it needs anything more, only a warm cup of tea or my beloved rooibos chai latte. Talking about chunks, these are the ones I combined: dates, raisins, dried apricots, pecan nuts, almonds and dark chocolate. The addition of psyllium husk powder helped a lot to give the dough more flexibility, which means easier handling and also adds structure and fluffiness. I think I've found my secret weapon to make GF breads chock full of chunks that won't fall apart and still have a nice crumb.

Receta en español en la web de El Granero Integral.

Gluten-Free Christmas Bread
(Yield: 1 loaf)

Ingredients
1/3 cup panela/rapadura.
1/2 cup Medjool dates (or natural dates), pitted.
1/4 cup raisins.
1/2 cup pecan nuts.
1/2 cup blanched almonds.
1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped into medium chunks.
4 or 5 dried apricots.
1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt.
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
1 teaspoon ground ginger.
1 cup white rice flour.
1/4 cup oat flour.
1/3 cup buckwheat flour.
2 tablespoons millet flour.
2 tablespoons cornstarch.
2 teaspoons baking powder.
2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder.
1 cup oat milk.
1 soy yogurt (125 g).

NOTES:

- Panela (in spanish), also known as Rapadura (in portuguese) is unrefined whole cane sugar. It provides a rich caramelized taste and since it is not refined it retains all its minerals and nutrients.

- I measured all the chunks (minus the dark chocolate) before chopping them. Remember to measure first and chop them later.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF) and lightly grease a 20x10cm (8x4-inch) loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper making sure you leave a couple inches overhang on both sides to easily lift the bread once it's baked.

Chop the dates, dried apricots, pecans and almonds. Set aside along with the rest of the chunks.

In a large mixing bowl and using a wire whisk mix the sugar, the flours, cornstarch, spices (cinnamon and ginger), salt, baking powder and psyllium. Stir in the nuts, dark chocolate, raisins, dates and apricots.

In a separate medium bowl vigorously mix the milk and soy yoghurt. 

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula until a thick dough forms.

Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown, firm on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes approximately, carefully remove from the pan lifting the sides of the parchment paper and cool on a wire rack.

Store the bread tightly wrapped in plastic wrap inside an airtight container and it will keep well for at least a week.