Banana Bread

Hello, Hello,

It is another chilly morning here in Eugene.  Yesterday, most things were closed down due to snow but, unfortunately, the snow melted by noon.  To me, snow days means baking days.  I had some extra bananas sitting around and figured it had been a long time since I had made banana bread.

The original recipe calls for xanthan gum.  There has been a lot of talk in the gluten free community about whether or not we really need this gum for baking, and if it is causing some of our intestinal issues.  I decided to be bold and leave it out.  The bread turned out great, maybe a little more crumbly than it would have been with xanthan gum added, but it was still banana bread.  So, if you feel gutsy, try it without the xanthan gum.

Banana Bread
Courtesy: Babycakes


2 Cups Bob's Red Mills gluten free all purpose baking flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
2 Teaspoons baking soda
1 Teaspoon xanthan gum
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon (I put in 2)
1/2 Cup coconut oil, plus more for the pan
2/3 Cup agave nectar
2/3 Cup Rice milk (I only had hemp milk on hand)
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cup mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 325 and lightly grease a 7x4x3-inch loaf pan with coconut oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon.  Add 1/2 cup oil and the agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla to the dry ingredients.  Stir until the batter is smooth.  Using a plastic spatula, gently fold in the bananas until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Fill the prepared pan halfway with batter.  Bake bread on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 20 minutes.  The finished loaf will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Let the banana bread stand in the pan for 20 minutes.  Remove bread from pan and either cut and serve warm or let cool completely before storing.  Should store at room temperature for 3 days.