My go-to banana bread recipe, from Mama Knows Gluten Free. It’s easy—no mixer required—and comes out moist and delicious. Always a big hit, even with people not on the gluten-free plan.
You can add chocolate chips or nuts if you like, but it’s great in its simplest form. Choose a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum; otherwise the recipe calls for you to add it separately (1/4 teaspoon, with the flour). To get the correct measure of flour, spoon it into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a knife. This is more reliable than using the measuring cup to scoop the flour out. I like Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. The author of the original recipe, Audrey Roberts, recommends bringing all cold ingredients to room temperature for baking, as they’ll mix better.
Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 to 2/3 cup of sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 4 x 8 loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Add the baking soda to the bananas and mix.
- Stir in the melted butter, then the sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour last and mix until combined.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake on the center rack for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean. You may need to add foil over the pan after 35 or 40 minutes if it’s already well browned. Check the bread’s progress, as cooking time will vary depending on your oven.
- Turn the loaf out from the pan and onto a cooling rack. Let stand, and enjoy while still nicely warm, or cool completely.
