Not Your Mama’s Banana Bread
Gluten Free Banana Bread
As I am writing this recipe, I’m snacking on a slice of banana bread I made four days ago. It’s still excellent and hasn’t become dense or dried out. This is a gluten free recipe, which reduces the carb content by almost 80%. With my flour blend recipe you would never know I’ve used no wheat products. Banana bread is an excellent way to use those bananas that have gotten all black and spotty and just look inedible. (Actually that’s when they’re at their best, but I won’t eat that way, either.)
Banana bread has been a staple of cookbooks since the 1930s because of its simplicity and the fact that baking powder and baking soda had just became commercially available. Thus the ‘quick bread’ was born. With immense popularity came a lot of bad loaves and a reputation of being too dry or a lard heavy, dense and tasteless mass serving merely as an excuse to get rid of old bananas your parents were too cheap to throw away. What if you could make a low-carb, nutrient-rich loaf that your family actually wanted to eat? Because this is a gluten free option, it addresses concerns for both Celiac sufferers and people who are looking for a great bread with less calories and a way to reduce intake of overly processed flours.
There is nothing involved in the making of this bread that your kids cannot take an active role in. It is quick and comes out tasty and moist. Essentially you are just mixing several ingredients and putting it the oven for an hour. Because it’s not overly sweetened or dense it makes an excellent addition to breakfast or just a healthy snack. The ancillary ingredient list is very versatile: You can add or substitute raisins or a super fruit like cranberries or blueberries (even, dare I say it, the kid recipe rescuer chocolate chips — which you can get gluten-free too) if walnuts are an issue.
My flour blend contains Xanthan Gum, now that’s certainly a nefarious sounding ingredient or a man made chemical if I’ve heard of one. Why would I be recommending such a thing after what I said? Xanthan Gum is all-natural and made from the outer layer of miniscule, inactive bacterium. It’s ideal for thickening gravies and sauces and ideal substitute for gluten free cooking. Just Can’t judge a book by its cover, which is why knowing your ingredient list is important. Processed foods have a a ton of hidden ingredients.
A medium sized banana contains about 450 mg of potassium. Potassium aides in digestion, strengthens bones and arteries and lessens the effects of sodium in our diets. Nuts, such as walnuts, are loaded with fiber, unsaturated fats, vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids. Adding in a handful of super fruits like cranberries or blueberries will put a whole different spin on the bread (and still not make it seem like a bad fruit cake!) Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup unsalted Butter
- ¾ Cups Sugar
- 1 1/3 Cups Flour blend* (see below)
- 1 Large Egg, Lightly beaten
- ½ Tsp. Baking Soda
- ½ Tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Bananas, Mashed
- 4 Tbsp. Sour Cream
- 1 Cups Walnuts, Chopped
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar. If you have an electric mixer use the paddle attachment.
- Slowly add in the egg and scrape down the bowl as you work in the ingredients. Then add the mashed bananas and the sour cream. Mix until combined.
- Fold in the nuts by hand.
- Pour the batter in a greased loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when pierced in the center.
Flour Blend:
- ¾ Cup White Rice Flour
- 4 Cups Potato Starch
- 3½ Tbsp. Xantham Gum
- ½ Cup Dried Egg Whites
