Make: The Gluten-Free Banana Bread That Actually Tastes Good

Gluten-Free Banana Bread | Photo by Rebecca Boyd

Let me just say: As someone who can eat gluten-filled grains, I’ll never make another banana bread. The beauty in the gluten-free phase (while it certainly comes with its cons) is that we’re learning to cook with different grains and bake with different flours.

As someone who is always looking to fit in more protein and fiber, baking with almond meal is pretty much as good as it gets. In some recipes, it yields a grainy finish to your baked good, but not here. This bread comes together quickly (and easily — no mixer required!), rises beautifully, and was eaten in my house in 24 hours. I literally can’t wait to make it again.

A word on bananas: To make banana bread you need bananas that are overly ripe. I like to buy bananas (especially when they’re on that rack of “reduced for quick sale”) especially for this purpose and let them get nice and spotty. Then I mash three bananas on a plate and bag them in a Ziplock sandwich bag. I continue on with as many as I bought, stacking them in my freezer once frozen. Most recipes for bread or muffins call for three mashed bananas, so I store them this way. Just place a bag on the counter when you want to bake, and within about an hour it’s ready to go. This way you’re always ready to bake — and with a bread this delicious, you’ll be ready to bake more than ever.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Banana Bread
Makes 1 (10 inch) loaf

Ingredients
2 1/2 c. almond flour
1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. nonfat Greek yogurt
3 bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, finely chopped

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs to break them up. Add honey, yogurt, bananas, and vanilla and whisk to combine smoothly.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir together until blended. Add walnuts and stir in.
4. Spray a 10-inch. loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment (with paper overhanging the long sides, making a sling).
5. Add batter to pan and place in preheated oven. Bake for 55 minutes. Let cool in pan about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve.

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