Banana Bread - Great Recipe

[AlysounRI]

Hi All:

I made some really yummy banana bread using Bob's Red Mill all purpose baking flour (a combo of garbanzo bean, fava bean, potato starch, tapioca and sorghum flours).

I had four bananas that were really, really going to be dead if I did not use them today. So I tried making banana bars out of a different book (that did not work and turned

out to be a gelatinous mess). With the other two I decided to make banana bread from the recipe on the back of the BRM flour bag.

Usually I like to mix my own flours but I didn't feel like making up a batch of Bette Hagman's flour mixture, and I keep a bag of Bob's on hand just in case I don't have the time

or don't want to mix up a batch of gluten-free flour. Well, it came out really delicious. I don't know if it's on the back of every bag, so I am going to type it out here:

1/3 cup canola oil (I used vegetable oil),

2/3 cup brown sugar,

2 large eggs,

1 tsp vanilla extract,

1 and 3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free baking flour,

2 tsp. baking powder,

1 and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon,

1 tsp. xanthan gum,

1/2 tsp. salt,

1 and 1/2 cup mashed bananas (I just used two bananas and it worked out okay),

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (did not use),

1/2 cup raisins (did not use and used a liberal amount of dried cranberries instead)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Cream together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and cinnamon to egg mixture.

Then add mashed bananas and beat until smooth.

Add the nuts and raisins (or dried cranberries) and stir in.

Batter will be somewhat soft.

Transfer batter to pan and bake loaf for one hour.

Serves 10.

It was excellent. It was my first time using the xanthan gum and it rose to a good height.

It tastes excellent. Went very nicely buttered still warm with a cup of tea.

I am really pleased.

I've been bringing things into work as part of my "Who needs wheat" baking series and people usually like them.

This one I think I will bring in for a few people and keep to myself for the most part.

I can't eat it all and I really like to share besides.

It's a good recipe.

You cannot tell at all it's gluten-free.

It's not an overly dense loaf but it's spongy and light in the middle.

I'll bet no one would be the wiser that it was wheatless if you didn't tell them!!

Hope some of you make this and enjoy the result,

~Allison

[jerseyangel]

Sounds absolutely delicious--thanks for sharing the recipe

[AlysounRI]

  On 4/18/2010 at 12:53 AM, jerseyangel said:

Sounds absolutely delicious--thanks for sharing the recipe

You're welcome.

It's really, really tasty!!

And it's going to be gorgeous for breakfast tomorrow.

~Allison

[purple]

A couple of tips. You can add a bit of applesauce if you are short on bananas. I use BRM all purpose flour to make dairy/egg free waffles...best ever! I keep unpeeled bananas in the freezer, then just thaw and squish out for the waffles. Thanks for posting the banana bread recipe!

[RideAllWays]

I screwed around a bit because it sounded good but I didn't have the ingredients..

I used Kinnikinnick all purpose flour instead

No vanilla or cinnamon, i used honey to make a sweet loaf

Added sunflower seeds

Crumbled peanuts on top for a sort of crusty topping

And baked it in a cake pan because that's all I had!

So mine is more of a seedy-sweet-banana loaf but it's really good!

[AlysounRI]

  On 4/18/2010 at 2:13 AM, RideAllWays said:

I screwed around a bit because it sounded good but I didn't have the ingredients..

So mine is more of a seedy-sweet-banana loaf but it's really good!

Hey, that's great too!!

Yours sounds great too.

I have found, for the most part, as long as yeast is not involved, it's much easier to make substitutions.

If yeast is involved, it really becomes a chemical reaction. I am not a confident baker, BUT sometimes I do muster up the courage.

And, if I do not like the recipe (or it plainly doesn't work) I am very willing to change things around, esp.. if I find it too sweet

cause I am not fond of too sweet.

Thanks for the tip re. the applesauce.

Even if you don't have enough bananas on hand, it sounds like a great mix.

Thanks for the tips!

~Allison