This soft and delicious gluten free banana bread is a fantastic way to use those overripe bananas on the counter, and turn them into something everyone will love. There is some ingredient wiggle room with this simple bread, and it will fill your kitchen with that handmade home scent.
What you will need:
2 Cups Gluten Free Flour (Not all gluten free flours are made equal)
Note* If you have recently entered the gluten free flour world, you may have noticed that many of the brands have very different ingredient blends in them. The gluten free flour that you choose to work with can have an effect on the texture of your baked goods, and so If you have a certain blend and consistently don't care for the texture outcome, it might be time to try something new. You can also certainly save some pennies by making your own gluten free flour blend at home, and I will be discussing this in a future blog. For this banana bread, I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour 1 for 1 blend, which I find to be a good substitute for regular all purpose flour. I also very much enjoying cooking with almond flour, and I recommend it as a gluten free pantry staple.*
4 very ripe mashed bananas (approx. 1.5 cups when mashed up)
Note * You want the bananas to be very ripe so that they are soft enough to mash up smoothly. The riper bananas will also have a higher concentrate of sweetness, allowing you to reduce the amount of sugar needed in the loaf. *
1/2 cup coconut sugar
Note *If you want to go sugar free you could substitute the coconut sugar for monk-fruit. However, keep in mind that monk-fruit sweetener is sweeter than coconut sugar, and so you will want to cut your amount in a 2:1 ratio. I would recommend only doing a 1/4 cup of your monk-fruit powder.*
1/4 cup (1/2 stick), softened butter
Note * You can swap out the butter for softened coconut oil at a 1:1 ratio. Coconut oil may slightly change taste or consistency*
2 eggs whisked, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk or nut milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon pink or sea salt
*Optional ingredients: chocolate chips and chopped nuts*
You will also need mixing bowls, mixing spoon or whisk, measuring cups, and a 9x5 loaf pan
Instructions:
Makes approx. 12 slices
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
Grease your loaf pan with softened butter, coconut oil, or whatever you prefer, and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine your GF flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, smush (technical term) together your softened butter and sugar until well integrated.
Then, add your whisked eggs, milk, vanilla, and well smashed and mashed bananas, and mix until well combined. If your are adding a handful of chopped nuts or chocolate chips, now is the big moment. Dump those in and stir to combine.
Pour your wet banana mixture into your dry ingredients, and stir until all your flour is well incorporated into your wet mixture, and smooth.
Pour batter into your greased loaf pan.
Bake your banana loaf in your pre-heated oven for approximately 50-55 mins. At 50 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of your loaf and see if it comes out clean. If not, try again at 55 mins. When you gently push the top of your loaf it should bounce back and not feel too squishy underneath.
Remove your bread from the oven and allow to cool at least 15 mins before turning it onto a cooling wire rack. Waiting is hard, but your loaf might fall apart If you try too soon. (It's happened to me)
Once on the wire rack, allow to cool another 30 minutes (I know, more waiting)
Slice and Enjoy.
You can slice the bread and serve it warm, store at room temperature for 1-2 days (I store mine in a linen bread bag), in the fridge for 1 week, or pre-sliced and placed in the freezer for a month. Simply take your slice of bread out the fridge or freezer and re-heat on parchment paper in oven or toaster oven. This bread is absolutely delicious served with cream cheese.
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