Gluten-Free Gingerbread Loaf

The holiday season is well underway, and I’ve been working LONG hours, trying to catch up with all the holiday treats I’ve procrastinated on posting over the past few months.

Well, years, in the case of my Gluten Free Chewy Molasses Cookies recipe.

That one’s almost a decade old at this point.

LOLSOB. Whoops!

Today’s Christmas recipe: my best homemade gingerbread loaf, gluten-free edition!

Like my other quick bread recipes (Gluten Free Banana Bread, Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Bread, Gluten Free Zucchini Bread, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread), this gluten free gingerbread loaf takes only a few minutes of work.

Store a few ingredients together, pop it in the oven, and your house will soon be filled with a wonderful aroma.

An hour or so later, you’ll be ready to indulge in that classic holiday flavor.

This easy recipe turns out a flavourful, spicy quickbread with a fluffy texture and tender crumb.

Due to the flours used, it definitely passes for non-gluten free. It’s perfect to serve to any gingerbread fan, whether they’re gluten-free or not!

Is this Like Starbucks’ Gingerbread Loaf?

In a word... no.

Their loaf is more of a ginger cake, than an old-fashioned gingerbread ... bread. A moist cake that’s very ginger-forward, with bits of candied ginger in it.

It doesn’t have the molasses and warming spices profile that’s the hallmark of “gingerbread flavor”.

A fine product, to be sure... but definitely a different flavor from the favorite Christmas cookie!

This gingerbread loaf recipe is basically my Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies , in quick bread form!

IMHO, this is the best gluten free gingerbread loaf for gingerbread lovers.

It has that warm ginger flavor, bolstered with the molasses, cinnamon, allspice, etc... just no need to mess around with royal icing!

The perfect treat, this time of year - and it works as a breakfast, snack, or a dessert!

Have it on it’s own, or with some Homemade Lemon Curd as a breakfast bread, or as a teatime snack.

Serve it up warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a dessert!

Anyway, let’s get to it...

Ingredients

If you’ve made any of my sweet gluten-free recipes, you’ll find that this gluten free gingerbread loaf recipe uses fairly basic ingredients, all of which should be easy to find in most larger grocery stores.

A few notes for you:

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

As with all of my gluten-free baking, I prefer to use individual gluten-free flours- chosen and proportioned to the specific recipe I’m designing - rather than any kind of “all purpose” gluten free flour mix.

None of those work like actual all purpose flour does, and all try to be “good enough” for everything.

Personally, I prefer my flour to be perfect *for the specific thing* - which you really only get with individual flours.

For this recipe, I use my standard “sweet” flour ingredients, which is in the bulk of my sweet baked goods:

Light Buckwheat Flour
Sorghum Flour
Coconut Flour
Xanthan Gum

You can’t go wrong having these flours on hand - they’re great for everything from cookies, to muffins, quick breads, and more!

Molasses

The molasses is a key ingredient in this gluten-free gingerbread loaf recipe, bringing sweetness, moisture, and a rich flavor to the finished loaf.

Molasses aren’t something I tend to keep on hand, so I’ve made baked with basically every kind of Molasses over the years.

The brands vary slightly between Canada and the USA, and I’ve used everything from store brand regular molasses, to brand name Grandma's Brand Molasses), etc

They MOSTLY all work well in this recipe.

Ideally, use unsulphured molasses, as they have the best flavor (most brands are unsulphured).

Light molasses won’t have as robust a flavour as dark molasses does - if you really love that rich molasses flavour, use dark!

Beyond that, I wouldn’t recommend using Blackstrap Molasses - it’s bitter, and better used for savory cooking, like baked beans.

Not into molasses? Dark maple syrup is your best option as a substitute.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a common ingredient in quick breads and moist gingerbread loaf recipes in general, but it’s sort of optional.

If you don’t have it - or want a dairy free gingerbread loaf - just measure 2 teaspoon vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice into your measuring cup.

Top it up with your milk of choice - dairy milk, soy milk, etc.

Unsweetened Almond Milk is my go-to, but I also love baking with Oat milk, Cashew Milk, Flax Milk, and Macadamia Milk.

Vegetable Oil

Using oil - instead of melted unsalted butter - is the key to getting a nice moist crumb with this gluten-free gingerbread recipe.

I like to use a neutral flavour like vegetable oil, rather than something like olive oil.

You want an oil that is liquid at room temperature, so keep that in mind if you’re looking at using coconut oil. Liquid varieties will give you the best texture!

Holiday Spices

I use my favourite “gingerbread” proportions of warm spices for this recipe, involving:

Ground Ginger
Ground Cinnamon
Allspice
Ground Cloves

If you have a blend you love, feel free to use it!

Just keep the total amount of spices about the same, for the best balance in flavour.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Confectioners’ Sugar / Powdered Sugar
Dark Brown Sugar
Large Eggs
Pure Vanilla Extract
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt

... I just really don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

Orange Glaze Variation

If you would prefer an orange topping for your gluten-free gingerbread cake, swap out the milk and vanilla extract in the glaze recipe, for an equal amount of fresh orange juice.

Garnish with fresh orange zest, or Candied Orange Slices.

How to Make Gluten Free Gingerbread Loaf

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Preheat oven temperature to 350 F. Grease 1 regular/large loaf pan, or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Set dry mixture aside.

In a separate bowl - a small or medium bowl - whisk together buttermilk, molasses, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.

Add the wet ingredients mixture to the mixing bowl of dry ingredients.

Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir just until combined.

Bake for about 55-65 minutes or until crust is a rich golden brown, and knife inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean.

Note: Baking time will depend on the materials and proportions of the pan you use.

For best results keep an eye on it and take the baking time range as a suggestion - Don’t let it overbake! Overbaked = dry bread.

Once fully cooked, remove from oven, and let the loaf cool on a cooling rack while you make the glaze:

Vanilla Glaze

Whisk together the milk, vanilla, and salt.

Add about the powdered sugar, a little at a time, whisking until smooth. You want it VERY thick, but you can add extra milk or microwave for 10 seconds at a time (my preferred method!) if you need.

Leftovers

Leftovers can be cooled to room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap (or placed in an airtight container) and stored in the fridge for 5 days or so.

Best served at room temperature or - ideally - warmer.

More Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes!

Looking for something festive - for the whole family? Here are some great options!

Cranberry Chicken
Cranberry Jello Salad
Gluten-Free Candy Cane Cookies
Gluten Free Fruitcake
Gluten-Free-Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Scones
Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten Free Paska [Easter Bread]
Gluten-Free Sauerkraut Buns [Pyrizhky]
Gluten Free Stuffing Recipe
Keto Gingerbread Pancakes
Pumpkin Cheese Ball - Classier Version
Pumpkin Cheese Ball - Trashier Version
Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
Sweet Potato Souffle

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