Easy and Moist Gluten Free Banana Bread

If you’ve been looking for a foolproof gluten free banana bread that is equally moist and delicious as it is easy, then look no further! You’ll never need another recipe for your brown bananas because this comes together with items you likely already have in your fridge and pantry. It also doesn’t have that unpleasant gritty texture that so many gluten free baked goods can have. It’s the perfect “I-can't-even-tell-it’s-gluten-free” banana bread recipe for all of your gluten eating friends and family. We love a good dupe! I apologize in advance for my use of the word moist in this recipe. I know this is everyone's favorite word, but how else am I supposed to describe this banana bread? Especially when I'm describing a gluten free baked good – it’s necessary.

I have been experimenting more and more with gluten free baked goods, and suffice it to say that some things are easier to bake than others. While I have yet to crack the code on a decent gluten free chocolate chip cookie (suggestions are welcome – please send help), I easily replicated my favorite banana bread recipe. My beginner’s tip if you're just starting to bake gluten free: start by swapping the regular flour in your favorite recipes for gluten free flour and troubleshooting from there. I’ve had a lot of success using the commercial cup-for-cup flour blends available at most major grocery stores. Another one of my favorite gluten free baking tips is to let the batter rest anywhere from thirty minutes to overnight if you can. Gluten free flour has a harder time hydrating than regular flour does and the rest time helps eliminate the grittiness that happens so often in gluten free bakes! In this particular recipe, that step won’t be necessary (but you can if you want, it certainly won't hurt) as there’s enough moisture in the batter to sufficiently hydrate the flour. 

As an aside, Has anyone else had difficulty finding a reliable blog and/or creator for gluten free baked goods? So many of them are sponsored by expensive gluten free flour companies, or they tout that they’ve created the “perfect cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend” and develop recipes solely around their “miracle” mix. I don't like this for a few reasons… First, because I don't believe that their personal flour blend is really that much better than the store bought ones. (King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill make fabulous cup-for-cup blends!) Second, because there is a dark underbelly to these popular blog and recipe sites where bloggers instill fear that you’ll never cure your gluten free baking woes if you don't mix up their magical flour concoction. This simultaneously ensures you will never use any other recipe from another book, blog, or baker because their recipes have been perfectly crafted with their flawless flour combination. Lastly, it makes gluten free baking so much more difficult, confusing, and expensive than it already is! The cheaper, store-bought, cup-for-cup blends range from non-problematic to ever-so-slight issues, but nonetheless, yield nice results for far less hassle and cost than making the blogger’s recommended blend. After you get the hang of gluten free baking, you can always switch to a custom blend, but I think a convenient and inexpensive store-bought blend is perfectly fine for beginners and experts alike! Don’t listen to those blogs, there is usually something more going on under the surface that benefits them – not the other way around. 

But I digress, back to the recipe at hand – a gluten free banana bread that is so easy and moist no one would ever be the wiser. Have I got your attention yet? Maybe a glamor shot of the banana bread will help. Cue the oohs and ahhs!

I, like so many others, love banana bread. It’s a beginner’s favorite if you're new to baking. I’ve never met a more universally liked baked good – that is, as long as you like bananas. I go through phases myself with bananas where sometimes I love them, and sometimes I don’t. That’s usually where I find myself with lots of bananas that are quickly turning brown. Enter banana bread – my favorite solution to an abundance of bananas. I must confess, sometimes I buy bananas with the sole intent of letting them get nice and brown because I just want some banana bread. I’m sure I’m not the first person to do this, and I’m certain I won’t be the last.

I developed this recipe from my favorite guten-filled banana bread recipe, and from the info I’ve gathered in my new favorite cookbook, How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection by America’s Test Kitchen. I think this cookbook is a wonderful place to start if you're just diving into the world of gluten free baking. Most of the recipes are easy to follow and yield moist and delicious gluten free food including all your basics and favorites from your guten-eating days.

As far as ratings go, I think this one takes the cake! (Or should I say bread…?) Chloe, my finicky cat, and Nolan, my devoted boyfriend, agreed it was delicious – moist (there it is again!) and imperceptibly gluten free banana bread that, dare I say, rivals any mid-western grandma’s recipe. We settled on a perfect score. 10 out of 10!

 Don’t believe me? Bake it for yourself!

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Notes

I use the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, which already contains xanthan gum. You don't need to add additional xanthan gum if your flour blend already includes it. If your flour blend doesn't, you just need to add a little bit. Additionally, any cup-for-cup gluten free flour bend will do for this recipe. I know Betty Crocker and King Arthur have great blends that people really love. I recommend using what works for you in your kitchen. Needless to say, different blends will yield different results. Let me know if you try a different flour blend and how it turns out! 

Lastly, I just wanted to speak quickly about weighing the flour. I do recommend, if you can, weighing out your flour. Measuring with a cup will most definitely yield different amounts of four because all flours have a different density! If you can't weigh your flour, please use a soup spoon to add flour to your measuring cup and level it off with the handle of your spoon afterwards for the most accurate results.

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Easy and Moist Gluten Free Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Servings: 12-14 slices

Ingredients

• 9.5 oz (or 2 cups, 2 Tbsp) cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend* (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, see notes)

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already has it)

• 3 large (or 4 small), brown bananas, mashed

• 8 Tbsp melted butter, cooled

• 2 large eggs

• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 tsp granulated sugar (optional, for topping)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8.5 x 4.5” loaf pan with a gluten free cooking spray. You can use a 9 x 5” loaf pan, but you’ll want to start checking for doneness about 10 minutes earlier.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and, if using, xanthan gum, and set that aside. 

3. In a medium bowl, add the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together until well combined. 

4. Add the banana mix to the flour mix using a silicone spatula. Stir until well incorporated, about 1 minute. 

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level out the surface. If using, sprinkle the granulated sugar over the top of the batter as evenly as possible. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then take it out of the pan and leave it on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before serving. (I know it’s hard to wait, but gluten free baked goods' texture and structure literally crumbles if you cut into them while they’re still hot. Yes, I know, it’s tragic, but be patient – you will be rewarded!)

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