This Gluten-Free Fruit Loaf is a guilt-free way to indulge with a slice of bread! A perfect bread to make for any Mother's Day or Easter Brunch.
In the spring, I love making this kumquat-date bread. It's gluten-free and so good! Prepare this recipe in a loaf pan or a muffin tin.
Kumquats are a small, sweet and sour fruit packing an awesome citrus punch. Check out my Candied Kumquats and Kumquat Jam for other ways to prepare this fruit.
The right gluten-free flour is important when making this recipe. After testing this recipe out many times, our All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour works the best.
Try serving this loaf of bread for your next Easter Brunch! For more suggestions, check our Easter Recipes to spark some ideas.
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⭐️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This kumquat-date bread is gluten-free! We use a gluten-free flour blend that contains white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and xanthum gum.
- Kumquats add a delicious citrus flavor. These little fruits contain a slightly sweet flavor giving our gluten-free fruit loaf a citrus pop!
- Enjoy this gluten-free bread any time of year, especially for Mother's Day or Easter Brunch. Our Air Fryer Dinner Rolls is another great bread recipe for the holidays.
🥘 Ingredient Notes
When making your gluten-free fruit bread, make sure to have these ingredients on hand.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter. It's good to have control over the amount of salt in a recipe.
- Sugar - Adds a nice sweetness to balance out the kumquats.
- Orange juice - For a nice citrus flavor!
- Orange zest - Use a microplane to zest the orange
- Eggs - Bring eggs to room temperature for even cooking
- Sour cream - Gluten-free bread has the reputation of being dense and dry. Adding a touch of sour cream yields a moist loaf of bread.
- Dates - Dried fruit is common in fruit bread and adds sweetness and texture.
- Kumquats - Chop the kumquats by hand so you can see bits of them in the bread.
- Gluten-free four - I like using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 blend. This flour works so well that you will forget this recipe is gluten-free.
- Baking powder and baking soda - This helps increase volume and make the bread rise.
- Cinnamon - Adds a nice aromatic taste.
- Pecans - For texture and pairs well with the dried fruit.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
This kumquat-date bread is a versatile dish, so feel free to experiment with different ingredients to find the perfect combination that suits your taste buds.
- Gluten-Free Flour: Coconut flour and almond flour can be used, but we find that a 1-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour works the best.
- Dried Fruit: You can use any combination of fruits in your bread, such as raisins, dried cranberries, or dried apricots.
- Nuts: Try using different types of nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pistachios. If you have a nut allergy, use pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
- Sweetener: Swap out sugar for maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar.
- Make it dairy free: Replace butter with coconut oil and sour cream with vegan sour cream.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Gluten-free fruit bread is so easy to make, here's how to make it!
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and orange zest with the paddle attachment.
Step 2: Add chopped kumquats, eggs, orange juice, and sour cream. Mix on a medium-slow speed for 2 minutes. Fold in chopped dates.
Step 3: Sift together gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: Blend on low speed until everything is incorporated. Fold in chopped pecans.
Step 5: Pour batter into a 9x5 parchment-lined loaf pan.
Step 6: Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until the internal temperature is 200°F. Remove from the loaf pan and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Tip - When baking gluten-free bread, make sure it cools down to room temperature before slicing.
💭 Chef Tips
- Chop dates by hand. A food processor will create a mass of fruit that will be difficult to mix into the batter.
- For extra kumquat flavor, spread on butter and a small amount of kumquat marmalade.
- Use 1 to 1 gluten-free flour. I like to use Bob's Red Mill or my All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Recipe.
- To preserve kumquats, pour over simple syrup and freeze them. Instead of using orange juice, replace it with the kumquat simple syrup. Delicious!
- To serve, use good-quality butter. I like Kerrygold Irish butter. Trust me a good quality butter will make a difference!
❓Recipe FAQ's
Yes! All you need to do is adjust the cooking time. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 200°.
Option 1: When in season, cut the kumquats in half and remove the seeds. Prepare a simple syrup solution by heating 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Pour the syrup over the kumquats and freeze. Now you can make this recipe all year long.
Option 2: Replace kumquats with the zest of 2 oranges.
Yes, swap out dates for dried cranberries, apricots, or figs.
Cut the kumquats in half and use the point of a paring knife (small knife) to flick the seeds out.
💡Storage
- The best way to store gluten-free bread is in a breadbox to prevent the loaf from becoming soggy.
- Don't store gluten-free bread in the refrigerator. It will dry out.
- After storing for 3-4 days, transfer unused bread to the freezer. We recommend wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
🍽 Related Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @thefrizzledleek on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Fruit Loaf
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 orange zested
- 1 cup kumquats chopped
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons orange juice
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup dates chopped
- 2 cups gluten-free flour see notes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with avocado oil and line it with parchment paper.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and orange zest. Scrap the sides with a rubber spatula and blend until smooth.
- Add chopped kumquats, sour cream, orange juice, and eggs. Mix until blended. Fold in dried dates.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of the stand mixer. Blend until incorporated. Then fold in the pecans.
- Pour batter into 1 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature is 200°F.
- Cool for 15 minutes. Remove from loaf pan and place on a rack and cool completely.
Notes
- When baking gluten-free bread, make sure it cools down to room temperature before slicing.
- Use 1 to 1 gluten-free flour. I like to use Bob's Red Mill or my All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Recipe.
- The best way to store gluten-free bread is in a breadbox to prevent the loaf from becoming soggy.
- After storing for 3-4 days, transfer unused bread to the freezer. We recommend wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
- Don't store gluten-free bread in the refrigerator. It will dry out.
Cinda says
This is an excellent breakfast bread. Very moist and the variations are great too.