I have a bakery stand at the Virginia Renaissance Faire, and I will often run out of Gluten Free or Vegan Chocolate Banana bread, but that is never a problem as long as I have Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread!
This bread has a delicately crisp crust and a perfectly balanced, yet intense, chocolate and banana flavor. Even if you don’t need gluten free or vegan foods, this may become your favorite chocolate banana bread.
See also: Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread, Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread
The Inside Scoop
Measuring: 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.
Preparing the pans: This recipe has been reworked over 3 dozen times until it is now finally perfect. However, all those reworkings mean that it no longer fits into any one pan. Line the bottom and ends of a 4 ½” x 8 ½” loaf pan 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. Be sure to spray the pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Also spray one jumbo or 2 regular-sized muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. (I call this “the baker’s tasting proof”, i.e., my treat!)
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.
Ingredients: Kelp is almost pure protein and can be found at specialty stores and on-line. Although not essential, it produces a small but noticeable difference in the rise and stability of gluten free vegan baked goods.
Use coconut milk that contains only 3 ingredients: coconut, water and guar gum. Open the can of coconut milk and empty the entire can into a bowl; whisk together until the coconut milk is completely mixed and creamy. Measure out what is needed, add the vinegar and let it sit for 15 minutes to sour. Pour the rest of the coconut milk into a clean resealable bowl or jar. Label. Avoid “What is this thing in the back of the frig and why is it fuzzy?”
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.
Combine My Gluten Free Flour Mix, salt, kelp, xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl; mix until leaveners are evenly distributed throughout the gluten free flour. This helps to ensure an even rise. Please note: This recipe was developed using my gluten free flour mix. Because of the unique characteristics of various gluten free flours, prepackaged gluten free flour mixes may not work.
Hot water is added to cocoa powder to make the cocoa flavor “bloom,” that is, make it more intense. One tablespoon of hot coffee is also added because coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor but does not give it a mocha flavor.
How to work with gluten free flours: 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.
The baked bread has risen an inch above the edge of the pan and domed in the middle.
After the batter has been refrigerated and you are ready to bake, preheat the oven, prepare your pans or muffin tins, and place your batter into the bowl of a stand mixer. The batter will be too thick for a hand mixer. Mix on medium speed about three minutes to incorporate air. The batter will lighten noticeably as air is incorporated.
After Baking: The “toothpick” test to check if the bread is completely baked typically does not work with gluten free vegan baked goods. An instant read thermometer is an essential part of gluten free vegan baking. Gluten free vegan 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. Use a knife to loosen the bread along the long sides, then use the parchment paper handles to lift the bread out of the pan. Do not handle the bread until it cools; while it is warm your fingers will leave “dents” in the bread. Do not slice until the bread is completely cool.
This bread has a delicately crisp crust and a perfectly balanced, yet intense, chocolate and banana flavor. Even if you don't need gluten free or vegan foods, this may become your favorite chocolate banana bread. Place the 1/2 cup of prepared coconut milk and the vinegar in a small bowl and let sit 15 minutes to allow the coconut milk time to sour. Place the cocoa, hot water and hot coffee in another small bowl; stir to remove any lumps and let sit for at least one minute. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium mixing bowl, mix the sugar and shortening until light and completely mixed. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl; place in the refrigerator and let set for 2-12 hours so flour can absorb moisture. Once you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and 2 short sides of a 4 ½” x 8 ½” loaf pan with parchment paper. Leave enough parchment paper on the short ends to make “handles.” Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Also spray one jumbo or two regular-sized muffin cups with cooking spray. Gluten free vegan chocolate banana bread can also be made using only muffin cups; spray muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Place the batter in the bowl of a stand mixer (batter will be very thick) and beat on medium speed approximately 3 minutes to incorporate air. Batter will lighten in color as air is incorporated. Pour 34 ounces of batter into the prepared loaf pan. Pour the remaining 4 ounces into the muffin cup(s). (This is the baker's tester treat!) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-35 minutes for the muffin(s); 60- 70 minutes for the loaf. The internal temperature should read 210-215 degrees. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Take a knife and run it down the long sides of the loaf pan to loosen the bread, then lift the bread out using the parchment paper handles; place on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before handling. Enjoy!Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
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. per 1 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
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