GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD RECIPE

Banana bread has been a favourite with my family for a very long time. Back a couple of years ago I would buy the boys 2 pieces at the shops at Gloria jeans for the 4 of them to share thinking it was a much better alternative to the donuts they had the years prior to that. It costs me about $8 to give the GJ banana bread as a snack and around $12 for a whole loaf from my local bakery.

I started making my own banana bread and realised how much cheaper it was making it from home. Even cheaper again if I bought my flour in bulk and got my over-ripe bananas cheap from my greengrocer. Once we turned to a Gluten Free diet (I am gluten free and the kids are mostly low gluten) we found ourselves missing banana bread so I decided to play around with ingredients and create my own Gluten free recipe. After loads of attempts, some total disasters (mostly silly things like forgetting the eggs or even the flour) I'm finally onto a winner! It is a drier banana bread than you might compare to wheat based commercial products but I find this an advantage with little kids as it doesn't fall apart too much in their hands!

I make my own Gluten Free flour from combining at least 3 different GF flours. This gives it a better texture and taste. Today I used 1/3 coconut flour, 1/3 tapioca starch, 1/3 brown rice flour. The use of GF baking powder and chia seeds helps hold the bread together and gives it a lovely rise.

I make my mixture in the Thermomix (TM) but you could either use a large Food processor (FP) or buy your nuts already crushed or as meals (eg: almond meal is readily available at the supermarket) and chop down your dates and bananas prior to using a mixmaster. If you aren't using a TM then follow along with the quantities, order of addition of them and ensure your mix is well combined before pouring into your tin. Use standard ingredients in place of organic if you wish.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

80g Organic Dates
60g Organic raw almonds
60g Organic walnuts
180g Gluten Free Flour (combination of 3 or pre-bought mix)
2 tsp GF Baking powder
20g or 2tbsp Chia Seeds
Pinch of Cinnamon
40g or 4 tbsp of Extra Virgin Coconut oil
50g or 5 tbsp Agave syrup (or maple syrup, honey)
10 drops of SweetDrops liquid Stevia (or 1 extra tbsp sweetener)
2 whole eggs (cracked seperately before adding)
2-3 very ripe bananas depending on size (roughly chop or break apart with hands)
130ml milk (soy, dairy, lactose free, almond, etc)

Preheat oven to 160 deg. May vary with your oven, you want it low-moderate heat.
Chop Dates, almonds and walnuts first on Speed 6 for 10 seconds (or using FP, crushed nuts, etc)
Add in all other ingredients and mix on Speed 5 for 20 seconds or until well combined.
Pour into baking paper lined tin or silicon loaf mould (I still use thin strip of paper in mould) and place into oven for approx 1 hour. Keep an eye on it from 45 mins onwards til you learn exact time for your oven. You will see it brown on top, a nice rise and a yummy smell in your kitchen and you'll know it's ready. Leave to cool in tin for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire cooling rack before cutting and serving warm.
Best stored when cool, wrapped in a tea towel on your bench or in the tea-towel in a sealed container. Mine doesn't last long around here, usually gone that day!
Enjoy!!

 Note: My bread was accidentally left for 5 extra mins as the kids distracted me so it's just slightly browner than usual. Was still delicious though!