I began exploring gluten free baking because of some of the cast, crew, vendors, performers and visitors to the Virginia Renaissance Faire. They would look at my yummy wheat/dairy/egg baked goods and sadly ask me “Do you have anything gluten free?” It took me over two years, over 200 hundred pounds of baked goods that went into the trash can and a few happy accidents to perfect my gluten free baked goods. And I will always remember the awed response of the CEO of the Virginia Renaissance Faire the first time she saw my gluten free baked goods: She said “They domed.” I have to be very careful that everything is properly labeled as almost no one can tell by sight or taste which one has wheat and which one is gluten free.
See also: Banana Bread, Vegan Banana Bread, Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread and Diabetic Friendly Banana Muffins
The Inside Scoop
When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.
When adding chopped nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until aroma rises and nuts are lightly brown. Let cool before adding to batter. Pre-baking nuts helps to keep the nuts crisp and enhances the flavor.
Line the bottom and ends of baking pans with parchment paper. Let the parchment paper extend over the short ends of the pan to create “handles.” This makes it easier to remove the bread from the pan.
When making large loaves (rather than mini loaves or muffins); double the pans; this reduces the likelihood of the edges or bottom of the loaves becoming too dark.
A stand mixer is one of a gluten free baker’s best friends.
Let butter soften to room temperature. To soften quickly, place the stick of wrapped butter in a microwave and microwave on low heat until slightly softened but not melted. Leaving the butter in the original paper helps it soften evenly.
Be sure eggs are at room temperature. Warm eggs hold more air than cold eggs, which means a lighter bread. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, before cracking, place eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.
Crack eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs.
Since gluten free flours do not contain gluten, extended mixing times are important to help the flours absorb moisture. Refrigeration time is essential to allow flours to absorb moisture and eliminate the gritty “gluten free” texture and taste. Although the “grittiness” can be mostly eliminated after 15 minutes of refrigeration, I find longer refrigeration times continue to improve the texture, taste and rise of the gluten-free baked goods. As one can see in the pictures, I get an amazing rise.
Bananas vary in size; 3 medium bananas may be the right amount, or they might not be enough and then your bread lacks flavor or they may be too much and then your bread is heavy and dense. Weigh your bananas to ensure you have the right amount.
Do not mash your bananas. Rather, add sliced bananas to the batter; your mixer will mash most of the banana but leave you with some small bits of banana for extra banana flavor.
Distribute batter evenly in the pan to reduce excessive doming in the middle. This helps to ensure a more even bake.
The “toothpick” test to check for doneness typically does not work with gluten free baked goods. An instant read thermometer is an essential part of gluten free baking. Gluten free baked goods should typically be baked to 210-215 degrees.
It is important to remove your baked bread from the pan after cooling for 10-15 minutes so that the bread does not “stick” to the pan and the bottom of the bread does not become wet from condensation as the bread cools.
A moist, smooth-textured Gluten Free Banana Bread with intense banana flavor, small chunks of banana, a melt-in-your-mouth crumb and rich buttery undertones. Spread chopped nuts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up). Bake for 5 minutes until aroma rises and nuts are very lightly browned. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, mix sugar and butter; beat until light. Add eggs; beat thoroughly. Add vanilla, oil and buttermilk; beat until light. Add the flour mix, kelp powder, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda and baking powder; beat for 5 minutes. Remove beaters. Cover bowl, label and refrigerate for 2 - 12 hours so flour can absorb moisture. After batter has sat in refrigerator for the desired amount of time (2 - 12 hours), preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line bread pans (one 4"x 8", two 3 1/2" x 7"or four 3" x 5"pans) with parchment paper, leaving "handles" on the short ends, or line muffin tins (16 regular or 8 jumbo muffin tins) with cupcake liners. Spray inside of pans or muffin cup liners with a non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Remove batter from the refrigerator. Measure batter evenly into prepared bread pans or muffin cups. (For mini loaf pans, measure 255 g./ 9 oz. per loaf. For muffins, measure 71 g./ 2 1/2 oz. into regular sized muffin cups, or 127 g./ 4 1/2 oz. into jumbo muffin cups). If you have remaining batter, fill additional lined and sprayed muffin cups. (The baker needs a "tester" to check that the muffins taste right!) Bake at 325 degrees for 20 - 60+ minutes (depending on the size of the pan) until internal temperature reads 210-215 degrees. Makes approximately 1164 g./ 41 ounces of batter without nuts, 1224 g./ 43 ounces of batter with nuts. Enjoy!Gluten Free Banana Bread
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Instructions
70 g./ 7 T. White Rice Flour
35 g./ 3 1/2 T. Brown Rice Flour
24 g./ 2 T. Potato Starch
15 g./ 2 T. Millet
11 g./ 1 1/2 T. Tapioca Flour
This equals 155 g. per1 cup.
To make a large batch at once, I multiplied the above amounts by 8:
560 g./ 56 T. White Rice Flour
280 g./ 28 T. Brown Rice Flour
192 g./ 16 T. Potato Starch
120 g./ 16 T. Millet Flour
88 g./ 12 T. Tapioca
Moist, light texture of the gluten free banana bread.
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