Okay friends, today we have another gluten-free high altitude baking recipe. This recipe can be deliciously made using all-purpose flour as well, so whatever works for you and your diet.
I have been experimenting with gluten-free all-purpose flour substitutes and so far have been very pleased with the Cup4Cup brand. There is not a noticeable taste to the product and it bakes up beautifully. You can find Cup4Cup at Williams-Sonoma Stores and Whole Foods.
I had some sweet potato puree so I decided to play around with my trusty Vanilla-Scented Butternut Squash Quick Bread and Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Glaze formula. It makes the best quick breads- moist, not too greasy, light texture yet substantial density…you just have to try it.
Yesterday we hosted a little brunch get-together and wow, what a spread we put on- hand-rolled croissants, brioche sticky buns filled with pastry cream, smoked salmon mille feuille (flaky layers of puff pastry stacked with lemony chive cream cheese and smoked salmon), spicy egg fry (hard-boiled eggs with sauteed onions, ginger, garlic, red chiles, basil, and cilantro), hash brown potatoes, carafes of fresh juice, and little Vietnamese coffee shooters. Yum. I thought I would be tired but after it was all said and done, I found myself cleaning up the kitchen and itching to bake with my newly acquired gluten-free flour.
We had put out little jars of homemade jams to serve with the croissants, and my mind got set on swirling some in with the sweet potato quick bread batter. I used cranberry-pomegranate jam- tart, ruby-colored, and the perfect contrast to the earthy sweet potato puree.
I’ve made this recipe twice now using two different brands of flour substitute. Cup4Cup had the best taste and flavor, and I did not need to use any type of binding ingredient or xantham gum.
Bob’s Red Mill flour substitute produced a nice bread but definitely had a bit of an aftertaste. Following a tip from Gluten-Free Girl’s blog, rather than purchasing xantham gum, I mixed ground flax seed with a little water to make a slurry, and used that to help bind everything together in my bread. When using Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour in this recipe, I added 1 1/4 teaspoons ground flax mixed with 3/4 tablespoon water. You can also use chia seeds to do this.
Feel free to use any flavor of jam that you wish to swirl into the bread. The sweet potato puree can also be substituted with other varieties of squash.
If you’re making this recipe with all-purpose flour, simply substitute the same amount.
How to bake this high altitude adjusted recipe:
Jam-Swirled Sweet Potato Bread (Gluten-Free)
adapted from Mastering the Art and Craft: Baking & Pastry by the Culinary Institute of America
- 6 oz (3/4 cup) sweet potato puree
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup grapeseed or canola oil
- 1½ cups Cup4Cup flour substitute (see text above recipe for tips on making with other brands of flour substitute) or all-purpose flour if making non-gluten-free
- ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- scant ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 oz water
- 3½- 4 oz jam of your choice
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan and line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet potato puree, maple syrup, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and oil.
- Add the flour substitute/flour, baking powder, and baking soda, whisking until combined.
- Stir in the water.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Place the jam over low heat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave for a few seconds until it is slightly runny. Drizzle the jam over the batter.
- Top with the remaining batter and place in the oven.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then check the baking progress.
- The center should feel firm when lightly touched. The bread should be a golden brown and cracked on the top. You can also insert a skewer into the center and see if it comes out clean with no streaks of batter. The bread may take another 10-20 minutes to finish baking.
- Bread made with all-purpose flour only takes about 40-45 minutes at altitude, while bread made with flour substitute will take 55 minutes or longer to bake at altitude.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then invert and cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to preserve freshness.
Note: This recipe was adjusted from high altitude baking. To make at sea level, increase the baking powder to 3/4 teaspoon and baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon. The baking time will be 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown and the center is firm when lightly touched.
