Gluten-Free and Vegan Apple Bread

Easy Apple Bread – Gluten-Free and Vegan

When I was doing my Teacher’s Education I lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the same time, my good friend Amy was doing her Masters on Vancouver Island in Victoria, B.C. These were the days. We had so much freedom and we were, in a way, finding ourselves out West while accomplishing higher education. Perfect, no?

Amy and I would get together on the weekends; she would ride the ferry to Vancouver or I would ride the ferry to Victoria. It was such a great experience for both of us.

On our weekend visits, we would go for these great long runs and then we would come home and EAT. We both loved to eat; even back then it was real food that we loved. We didn’t go to McDonald’s to eat. We went to get humongous homemade cinnamon buns, or beautiful, freshly baked bagels.

Amy and I both loved to bake too. She made this apple bread for me when I went to visit her one weekend. We devoured the entire pan. It was so yummy.

I finally pulled out the recipe in an attempt to recreate this delicious snack-time, breakfast-time, any-time bread. With a few substitutions I had a delicious and gluten-free version of Amy’s apple bread.  Oh how I wish I could share it with Amy after a long run (she found herself and a boy in Victoria, so we only see each other once a year).

Substitutions

I have learned a lot about gluten-free baking over the past 7 years. When I first started baking gluten-free I bought a book that told me I needed to keep a gazillion different flour mixes because each mix was good for certain baked goods. That totally turned me off and I stopped baking that way.

The next thing I did was to simply sub brown rice flour in any recipe that I was converting to gluten-free. This worked just fine, but the results were mediocre. We survived for a few years, until I really started playing with gluten-free flours.

My next step was to buy a mix from a gluten-free bakery near our house. This was a great way to bake, and everything I made tasted yummy. We were getting so much closer!

One day I started thinking about the very white flour mix I was buying from this bakery. I wondered about the nutritional value, so I decided to start researching other flours that might have more oomph to them.

Enter quinoa flour, sorghum flour, chickpea flour, teff flour, quinoa flakes, and so many more deliciously nutritious gluten-free flours. I often think us gluten-freebies are luckier than those gluten-fullers when it comes to the diversity of flour.

Amy’s recipe obviously calls for all-purpose or whole-wheat flour. I simply used my gluten-free all-purpose mix for this recipe, cup for cup. I am quite sure that any mix will do so make sure you try your favourite.

Here’s mine, just in case. I play around with my flour mix all the time. Sometimes I use almond flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch; it really depends on what I am making and what flours I have at hand.

Gluten-Free Flour Mix

2 cups sorghum flour
2 cups arrowroot flour
2/3 cup quinoa flour
3 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum

I store my mix in a glass storage container for approximately 2-3 weeks. If you don’t think you’ll use it by then, store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Amy’s recipe also called for an egg so I substituted with some ground flax mixed with water. And I used my favourite oil – coconut oil.

Going gluten-free, dairy-free, or even egg-free can seem daunting. But it’s really quite simple. I always share my baked goods with the gluten-eaters of the world. The only thing they notice is how good it tastes. And that’s not necessarily a compliment to me, it’s simply because it’s just that easy.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Apple Bread

Adapted from Amy’s Gluten-FULL Apple Bread recipe
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix (see above for my recipe)

2 tsp organic cinnamon (have you tasted the difference?)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 1/2 tbsp of ground flax combined with 3 tbsp warm water

1 cup coconut sugar (you could use cane sugar)

1/2 cup melted coconut oil, plus more for brushing

1 cup peeled, shredded apple (2 medium sized apples)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×4 inch loaf pan.

Sift the gluten-free flour mix into a large bowl. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix well to combine.

Combine the ground flax and warm water in a small bowl. Add the sugar, apple, and oil. Stir well to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with melted coconut oil. Return to oven and bake for 15-20minutes. Remove from oven and check with a knife to make sure it’s done.

Let cool in pan. Remove bread from pan and cut into nice, thick slices.

So which old friend would you love to share this apple bread with?

This apple concoction is linked to the September edition of Sweet or Savory. The theme this month is, you guessed it! Apples.

And as always, this recipe is linked to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

This post is also linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.

Lastly, I’ve linked this post to Jenn Cuisine’s Gluten-Free Substitutions round-up.