Gluten Free Banana Bread

Every gluten free baker needs a good banana bread recipe.  Maybe you don’t consider yourself a baker, let alone a gluten free one!  Gluten free quick breads, like this gluten free banana bread, are easy to make (you can pull it off in one bowl if you want!).  It holds its shape without being overly dense, has delicious banana flavor, and is perfectly soft.  Bake a loaf for a gluten free friend or eat warm with a slab of butter (which happens to be my families preferred method of eating).  I like it straight up plain, but there are others who believe banana bread exists as a method for butter delivery.

The smell of baking banana bread has to be one of the most irresistible smells in a kitchen. And let me tell you, my kitchen has had its share of banana bread smells over the last few weeks as I’ve worked and re-worked this gluten free banana bread recipe!  There were a lot of kinks to work out – density, height, flavor, and moisture, just to name a few.  The recipe was so close, but if finally came together when I came across Sally’s Baking Addiction on Instagram where she mentioned the key to her banana bread was Greek yogurt.  I though it was worth a shot, and sure enough, it creates a soft and moist texture without making the bread too gummy and dense.  Finally…a gluten free banana bread recipe worth sharing!

Tips and Tricks:

• There are two things every gluten free home cook should have in their arsenal:
  1. Kitchen food scale.  I use a kitchen food scale EVERY time I measure gluten free flour.  I find if I scoop and sift I am often 2-3 TBS over or under, which can wildly throw your results off!  It’s worth the investment.  I use one exactly like this (and have used it for several years!): Digital Food Scale
  2. Oven thermometer.  Such an inexpensive kitchen tool but so worth it!  My last oven was off by 35 degrees brand new and my current oven is off by 25 degrees.  I have to manually adjust my temperature when I bake because I know the oven doesn’t get as hot as it should.  I suspect this is true with a lot of home ovens.  If you find yourself constantly saying how something took longer to cook there’s a good chance it’s your oven – not the recipe!  I have this thermometer and once again, have been using it for years: Oven Thermometer
• This is the recipe I use for gluten free flour blend: https://www.justasgoodglutenfree.com/2016/11/15/amys-gluten-free-flour-blend/
• Ripe bananas are key to achieving the perfect banana flavor.  In fact, the darker brown the banana the better!  Bananas can be stored in the freezer once they start to ripen and turn dark brown.  I love to do this when a banana is past the stage of eating raw, but I’m not ready to bake banana bread.  Bring the banana to room temperature before using.
• I often struggle with getting the bananas perfectly mushed, resulting in clumpy bananas in my bread.  Simply use your electric stand mixer to mash your bananas before beginning the recipe, and set aside until ready to use.  I don’t even clean my bowl, I just proceed with the butter.
• Make a “sling” out of parchment paper to line in the loaf pan.  It ensures the bread will easily pull out of the pan.  You basically cut the parchment paper to hang over on each long side of the pan (it will only cover 2 sides of the pan, not all four).  See picture below:

• Bake your bread at 325 degrees F instead of the typical 350 degrees F.  It is less likely to over bake and brown too quickly on the outside before it has a chance to cook through the middle.  Trust me…I’ve had waaaay too many over-cooked banana bread as of late.  Knocking the temperature down worked miracles!
• Check the bread around 40 minutes into baking to ensure it’s not over-baked.  I’ve found gluten free banana bread cooks quicker than wheat-based banana bread.

Did you try this recipe?  Let me know!  Comment below or find me on Instagram at #justasgoodglutenfree and/or join me on Facebook at Just as Good Gluten Free group.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Store your bananas in the freezer after they start to brown and thaw before mashing - it makes for perfect banana bread!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 1 loaf

Author: Just As Good Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup (263 grams) gluten free flour blend
• 1 ½ teaspoon guar or xanthan gum omit if in blend
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs room temperature
• ¼ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 ½ cup mashed ripe bananas about 3-4 med. bananas

Optional

• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 Tbs raw sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 9" x 5" loaf pan lightly coated with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, guar gum (omit if in blend), baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon and set aside. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar until combined. Add one egg at a time, beating after each. Mix in the yogurt. Add the flour mixture and combine until it is just mixed. Add the mashed bananas and nuts (optional) and stir until combined.
• Pour into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar if desired. Bake for 50-55 minutes, checking around 40 minutes in to make sure it isn't over-browning (if it is, tent with aluminum foil), or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.

Recipe adapted from www.epicurious.com (Julie’s Best Banana Bread) and www.sallysbakingaddiction.com (thanks for the yogurt idea!)

Hey there!  Just As Good Gluten Free LLC participates in the Amazon Associates Program, which mean many outgoing links on Just As Good Gluten Free are affiliate links.  After clicking on a link, I may receive a small percentage of the sale for referring you, which comes at no extra cost to you.  This allows me to  continue creating gluten free recipes for you!  Many thanks –  Amy