Best Gluten Free Banana Nut Bread
I have been eyeing the over-ripe bananas today and dreaming of banana nut bread. If you have asked yourself “how to use old bananas”, banana bread is one of the best ways to still use them. This is the best gluten free banana nut bread that I have made so far.
I am creating a new garden and recently started receiving regular emails from the Old Farmer’s Almanac so I decided to look at their banana bread recipes. My other cookbook required 5 bananas and I needed a recipe that did not call for as many.
Here enters the Old Farmer’s Almanac Banana Nut Bread recipe. This particular recipe won a blue ribbon at the Oklahoma State Fair. It seemed like a good way to start creating a gluten free version. It is so cool to adapt a winning gluten free banana nut bread.
https://www.almanac.com/recipe/banana-nut-bread
Use old bananas
These bananas were some of the oldest that I have used in a recipe. This recipe calls for 3 bananas. Take care when you are peeling them to make sure that you get all of the peel. It likes to stick to the banana more.
When kids were in the house, I made banana bread more often. One tip that I have is that if you cannot make it right away, is to peel it and freeze it. I had a gallon bag that I would add a new old banana to in order to save them. Then you just need to pull out what you need and have it thaw out in the fridge. In a pinch, I have used 1 newer banana and the recipe has been fine.
Changing the Banana Nut Bread to Gluten Free
It turns out only the flour needed to be changed to make this recipe gluten free. If you are celiac, please double check the ingredients that I used. My gluten free diet is to help calm inflammation and arthritis. Friends, if someone is celiac, cross contamination or the wrong ingredient can make that person sick for longer than my inflammation. Take extra care on any advice on ingredients from your friend and any changes that they would want to make in this recipe.
Gluten free flours are more accessible than they used to be. I am experimenting with mixing up my own and also the All In One flours. Recipes that use a home mixed flour or individual flour measurements also need xanthan gum added when baking. All In One flours have already added xanthan gum.
The flour I had on hand was Pamela’s Gluten Free and Vegan All-Purpose Flour. This flour is one of the mixes that you can change recipes 1-for-1 with wheat flour. That means that you can measure this flour with the same measurement of wheat flour. This is a great starting point if you are just starting to bake gluten free. As you get more experience, you can play more with flours and save some money in the longer term.
Best Gluten Free Banana Nut Bread
Adapted from the Old Farmer’s Almanac Banana Nut Bread recipe.
https://www.almanac.com/recipe/banana-nut-bread
INGREDIENTS
2 cups gluten free all in one flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt or sour cream
1 cup nuts, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Traditional Instructions
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, cream the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, bananas, and buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream); beat well.
Stir into the dry ingredients, then stir in the nuts. Pour into a greased 9×5-inch pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Stand Mixer Instructions
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
In your stand mixer bowl, cream the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, bananas, and buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream); beat well.
Hint: When I have used a stand mixer, I have not mashed the bananas ahead of time. I just pull them into small pieces and add them in for the mixer to do the work. You may need to have it stir on a high setting quick to finish it off. Also, I crack each egg into a small bowl and add them one at a time to avoid shells in the main bowl.
Add the dry ingredients a spoonful at a time into your mixing bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer, then stir in the nuts, incorporating any dry ingredients that have collected in the bottom or on the side.
Pour into a greased 9×5-inch pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Hint: So far, my banana bread has taken an extra 10 minutes. Larger bananas have the recipe take a little longer.
YIELD: 1 loaf
Time to Eat
Baking banana bread made the house smell so good and I was able to use old bananas instead of throwing them away. Banana bread is a great way to start baking gluten free as it just is not as picky. Do you want to try this best gluten free banana nut bread?
Whatever you do, do you!
Not Crazy Nana
