Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Bread
I almost thought I had lost my food “mojo” or there was a major funk happening until I made this Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Bread, also refined sugar free.
Stress can do some strange things at the best of times but it wasn’t until my dd, who is in the throngs of HSC trial exams started demanding (in the nicest possible way) food of any description that would satisfy and sustain the long hours of study she was enduring, that I was faced with the fact that I’m facing my own mini crisis of “I don’t want to cook”! Since cooking has been such a big part of my life and is a treasured skill that reminds me of my mother, auntie and grandmother I was, to say the least, a little beside myself when I started displaying symptoms of “cooking burnout”. It’s happened before, a few years ago, but not to this extent. I’ve even had joyful thoughts of being able to throw cheese and crackers on a plate and serve it for dinner! How easy would that be – totally impractical since I went dairy free (again) a few weeks ago and so is my dd. Not to mention that cheese and crackers are hardly a substantial, well balanced or nutritionally dense meal.
Back to the Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Bread. I needed a plan, even if I wasn’t feeling it. I was out buying fruit and veg and found buckets of bananas going at bargain prices, something to do with a heap of rain in Northern Queensland that affected the banana crops. Perfect I thought I’ll make banana bread, but what recipe am I going to use. I have had several failed attempts at Gluten Free Banana Bread in recent months which should of put me off for ever more, but I was determined to succeed and overcome this funk. Thankfully, after 1 more semi-failed attempt, I succeeded and it was with this recipe. Gluten free flours are a slight bane in my existence to the point that I swing between many combinations of GF flours to get the right consistency, taste but also which ones can be most tolerated by me and my dd. I love coconut flour and highly recommend it as a great GF alternative, but my dd finds it too hard on her digestive system. High fibre products such as coconut flour can sometimes be troublesome for folk that suffer with digestive or gut issues so making a bread entirely with Coconut flour doesn’t usually suffice, however reducing the amount and combining other flours can often work provided that the right texture can be achieved. I have used this combo of flours before in pancakes and used sorghum flour in these fabulous scones but these flours failed bitterly in my previous attempts at banana bread.
Finally I found the perfect combination of flours that work beautifully in this Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Bread. Dense enough that you can toast it but still light enough. And if you throw in the optional dark choc pieces then you have the perfect baked item for morning or afternoon tea.
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 130 grams brown or fine white rice flour
- 90 grams potato flour
- 75 grams tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp good salt
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup maple syrup rice syrup or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk or water
- 4 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 50-100 grams of 70 or 85% dark chocolate broken into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180° C or 375°F.
- Grease and line a 24 cm x 12 cm (9×5 inch) loaf pan.
- Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well to combine.
- Combine egg whites and sweetener and beat until frothy.
- Add in coconut oil, non dairy milk and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Add in mashed banana and beat until combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Add in optional dark choc pieces and stir again.
- Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.
- Test with a skewer to see if cooked.
- Leave in pan for at least 20 minutes and then cool on a rack completely before cutting.
- Will keep for up to 5-6 days in a sealed container.
Notes
This recipe is:
- dairy free
- gluten free
- low fodmap
- vegan – omit the egg whites and add in 1/2 cup of applesauce
- refined sugar free
Let me know if you try it. You might substitute other flours, let me know how you go or leave some social love below.