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This gluten-free gingerbread loaf is the perfect comforting breakfast or snack for cooler months. Enjoy as is or top with frosting or whipped cream for the ultimate treat.Â
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved to bake. Over the years boxed Betty Crocker Brownies turned into black bean brownies, but the premise is still the same, mix, stir, bake, eat. Baking has become my therapy! I bake when I’m stressed, I bake when I’m happy, I bake for others, I bake for myself. No matter how I’m feeling, baking tends to put me at ease.
I’ve had successes and failures in the kitchen over the years but lucky for you, this gingerbread loaf is a clear win!
Here’s What You Need
- sparking water – yes, you read that right! Sparkling water helps this bread rise.
- baking soda and baking powder – also help the bread rise.
- blackstrap molasses – a key ingredient for the gingerbread flavor. You can swap for honey or maple syrup if you’d like but the flavor will be a bit different.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour – any gluten-free all-purpose flour works! I used a blend.
- coconut palm sugar – white cane sugar works too.
- dried and freshly grated ginger – can’t have gingerbread without ginger!
- black pepper – I know this sounds odd but don’t be scared! It elevates the other spices in the bread.
- salt – brings all of the flavors together.
- applesauce – replaces the oil or butter traditionally found in gingerbread recipes.
- eggs – helps the bread hold it’s shape and keeps the wet and dry ingredients combined.
How to Make Gingerbread
STEP 1: Bring the sparkling water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up!
STEP 2: When the foaming subsides, stir in the molasses and coconut palm sugar. Set aside.
STEP 3: Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, pepper and salt in a large bowl.
STEP 4: Add the sparkling water-molasses mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, applesauce and grated ginger until combined.
STEP 5: Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in three parts. Stir continuously until the mixture is completely smooth. Transfer the batter to a loaf pan that is prepped with non-stick spray or coconut oil. Tap the pan against a hard surface to pop any air bubbles.
STEP 6: Bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the loaf is firm to the touch. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan.
How to Serve Gingerbread
Serve this gingerbread loaf much like you would serve banana bread or zucchini bread! It’s delicious with butter or melted coconut oil spread on top, topped with frosting (dreaming of a cream cheese frosting!) or even with some coconut whipped cream.
How to Store Leftovers
Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap or tinfoil and store at room temperature for up to 5 days. You could also freeze in a freezer safe container for longer storage.
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Loaf
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sparking water*
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 1/2 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp dried ginger
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 T freshly grated ginger
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease an 8 X 4 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or coconut oil.
- Bring the diet drink to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda (mixture will foam up).
- When foaming subsides, stir in molasses and coconut palm sugar. Set mixture aside.
- Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, pepper and salt together in a large bowl.
- Transfer the diet drink-molasses mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, applesauce, and grated ginger until combined.
- Whisk the wet mixture into the flour mixture in thirds, stirring continuously until completely smooth.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and gently tap the bottom of the pan against a hard surface to pop any air bubbles.
- Bake until the top of the loaf is just firm to the touch, about 35-40 minutes.
- Leave loaf in pan until cool, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pan.
- Store leftovers in plastic wrap or tinfoil at room temperature for 3-5 days.
*the recipe originally used diet Dr. Pepper which is delicious but not the healthiest. Feel free to swap for pop or use sparking water!
More gingerbread recipes to try:
Procrastibaking- classic. You can therapy bake for me anytime! MY therapy is EATING the baked goods.. 🙂
Prostibake! Lolll love that. My therapy is yoga or any type of exercise. Lately though I have been turning to cooking as well. Errrrr experimenting in the kitchen we’ll call it. Delicious looking recipe as always girl!
Procrastibaking… lol I love that. I’m definitely the same way. Everything else can wait — I need my cookies/muffins/loaves NOW. And speaking of loaves… my goodness does this look amazing. And I’m super intrigued by the use of the soda. I really need to start playing around with molasses a bit more — such an underrated flavour.
SO underrated. This bottle was catching dust from sitting around for so long so I knew I had to start using it!
I did some therapeutic baking over the weekend too! I made protein bars, GF blueberry muffins & grain-free pumpkin spice muffins.
Cooking, running, walking, taking a shot shower, spending time in nature = the ultimate therapy. Oh, and wine, obviously. 😉
I love gingerbread recipes, but only make them during Christmas time. I might have to make this a few months early though- thanks for sharing!!
Davida, this looks so good!!!! The diet soda has me intrigued and I really want to try it! What is my therapy? Baking as well. I love getting lost in the kitchen and focusing on baking and flavors. So much fun and stress relieving!
You’re my therabaking buddy maddie 🙂
I NEED to try this! I can’t lie my baking skills aren’t the based but that’s why I need to start practicing! First test..Gluten Free Gingerbread Loaf 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
procrastibake! HAHAHAH! love it.
and i DO LOVE YOU so why hasn’t any of your bakegasms hit my belly yet?!
-kathy
Vodka and Soda
bakegasm! Genius!
I love baking too, and I always have ever since I was a wee little tot causing trouble in my parents kitchen. Nowadays, I work out for therapy; it gives me an outlet for stress and helps clear my head. I’m happy to accept baked goods from others though, especially since it’s stress relief for you too. When you look at it that way, it’s almost like I’m doing you a favor….alright maybe that’s a stretch. It still looks delicious, and I still want it though.
This looks delicious as always! I think baking is a fabulous thing to excel at! I always liked baking much much more than cooking, but I’m not particularly good at either one unless I’m just following directions. My therapy is the outdoors, anywhere away from the hustle, which could be in the woods or on my balcony (the balcony only works because we are up on a hill, so I feel like I”m out in the surrounding woods instead of in a busy town). Maybe it’s from growing up in a rural area, but I always feel like I can step back and breathe easier when I’m outside.