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  1. Wednesday, May 15, 2019

    Gluten-Free Banana Bread (that is totally awesome whether you eat gluten or not)

    I gave up wheat for the most part over a year ago, completely six months ago when I received my allergy test results. In the beginning I didn’t do any gluten-free baking because, well, I don’t eat much sugar anymore so I figured I may as well not tempt myself. BUUUUT…I couldn’t resist the baking bug forever. And now that I am finding and finessing more and more gluten-free baked goods recipes, I’m kind of hooked, as well as surprised and delighted at how good the new recipes are. The latest endeavor has been creating a recipe for gluten-free banana bread. Today I am ready to share that recipe and it is great, whether you eat gluten free or dairy free or not!

    Gluten-Free banana bread on a cutting board sliced

    The base (like many of my new gluten-free recipes) is oat flour. Oats have really stepped it up for me this past year in more ways than one, and this recipe is no exception. Using oat flour for this gluten-free banana bread yields a very moist quick bread with tons of flavor and great crumb. The texture is not quite as light and fluffy as my other regular banana breads, but it’s not a huge difference and, honestly, this bread is so good I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all. Also, this recipe is dairy free, so if you’re looking for dairy-free baking recipes, add this one to your list!

    Top view of gluten free banana bread

    Top view of gluten-free banana bread in a pan with a blue potholder

    Just like regular banana bread, I absolutely love putting leftover slices in the toaster before eating. With this particular bread you just need to be careful pulling the banana bread out as it tends to fall apart even more than regular banana bread. I use a toaster oven and not a top-loading toaster, too. I imagine it would be easy to lose your bread in a top loader!

    Side backlit view of gluten-free banana bread in pan

    Without further ado, here is my recipe for gluten-free banana bread. And I swear that even people who can eat gluten will love this recipe, too. Banana bread for all!

    Side view of gluten free banana bread cut

    Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Dairy Free)
     
    Inspired by a recipe for banana-bread muffins in "The Low-FODMAP Diet for Beginners" by Mollie Tunitsky. There are a lot of changes in my recipe below, but Mollie's original muffin recipe is also very good if you have her book and want to try it.
    Author:
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups oat flour
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup coconut oil
    • 3 medium-sized or 2 large unripe bananas (my bananas were still a bit green and worked really well; the riper the banana, the sweeter things will be and it could change the moisture content of the batter a bit, too, which may add cooking time)
    • 2 eggs
    • ½ cup raw turbinado sugar
    • ¼ cup maple syrup (if you don't have pure maple syrup, you can simply do ¾ cup raw sugar and leave out the syrup)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 325º F. Grease a standard bread loaf pan well with coconut oil. (If you don't need to go dairy free, you can also use butter for greasing the pan.)
    2. Whisk together the oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.
    3. In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave (about 20 seconds on high). If your coconut oil is already in liquid form, skip this step.
    4. Add the bananas to the bowl with the oil and using a potato masher mash the bananas, being careful not to splash oil. (You can mash the bananas before adding them to the bowl, but I like doing it this way to save on dishes!)
    5. Add the eggs, sugar, syrup and vanilla. Mix well.
    6. Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined with no more dry spots in the batter.
    7. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I usually start checking for doneness around 20 minutes and then check every 3-5 minutes after that, depending on how done the bread is. The cook time could go much longer depending on the exact size and ripeness of your bananas. Just make sure that toothpick is squeaky clean and the loaf is rising in the center.

     


  2. Friday, July 29, 2016

    Cora’s Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe + The BEST Way to Eat Banana Bread (How have I never done this?!)

    Right now I’m in New Jersey visiting my family. Despite the fact that my sister-in-law Cora had a baby just six weeks ago, she has still been caught cooking us delicious food. Yesterday she made four loaves of banana bread, which (unsurprisingly) are already gone! Cora has been kind enough to share her sour cream banana bread recipe with us today. Everyone say thank you, Cora! {Thank you, Cora!}

    Cora's Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe from @janemaynard

    Cora’s recipe is wonderful and tastes like butter. The day it is baked, the top is wonderfully crispy, while the bread itself is soft and moist. And as happy as I am to now have Cora’s great recipe, I’m even more happy about the fact that Cora and my brother Christian shared the greatest tip ever for eating banana bread.

    The Best Way to Eat Banana Bread | Cora's Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe from @janemaynard

    You know how when you make banana bread or brownies or whatever that has a crispy top and it goes soft over night? WELL…Cora and Christian always toast their slices of banana bread and then slather the slices with butter. The top gets crispy again, the edges are awesome, and the bread stays soft and delicious. And then, of course, melted butter. It’s basically the greatest and I may never eat banana bread any other way again. These toasty slices of heaven might be even better than fresh-from-the-oven banana bread. Crazy talk, I know, but true.

    The Best Way to Eat Banana Bread | Cora's Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe from @janemaynard

    Enjoy! BonANA Appétit!

    Cora's Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe
     
    Prep time
    Cook time
    Total time
     
    From my wonderful sister-in-law Cora, who is an excellent cook!
    Author:
    Recipe type: Baking
    Serves: 2 loaves
    Ingredients
    • ⅔ cup butter
    • 1⅓ cup sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract (either are delicious!)
    • 1½ cup mashed bananas
    • 2¾ cup flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ c sour cream
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
    2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
    3. Add vanilla or coconut extract then add eggs, beating well after each egg.
    4. Add mashed bananas and mix well.
    5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
    6. Beating on low, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients until just combined. Add ¼ cup of the sour cream, beat on low until just combined. Repeat with ⅓ of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the sour cream, then finishing with the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients, making sure to mix until just combined with each addition.
    7. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.