Gluten Free can be a BIG hurdle when it comes to what people perceive as delicious, especially when it comes to sweets. The challenge comes in the crumb. Gluten (a protein found in wheat) provides the chewy bubbles in a sourdough and the fine, tender texture of a cupcake. If you remove the gluten, you lose the structure, like removing the skeleton from a body. So when I ventured to create my own gluten free baked good, I tried to think of something forgiving, a texture that wasn't delicate or super structured. My mom's chocolate chip walnut banana bread immediately came to mind.
I can't even begin to count how many times I've eaten this dense, moist, delicious cake. I know it's called bread, but honestly, there's nothing bready about it. Nothing elastic and chewy, nothing bubbly or crusty. It's crumb is dense and uniform, like a cake. But, banana cake just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? Bread has a comfort food thing going on, whereas cake feels pure dessert. Sinking your teeth into banana bread does not strike as a sweet tooth moment, but one of nostalgic indulgence. Maybe it's just nostalgic for me, growing up with it almost every day after school. That and my mom's coffee cake. Or rum cake (which was my birthday cake one year per my insistent 9 year old request). My mom did a lot of baking, to say the least. One of the intriguing things about this recipe is the sour milk component. Yes, sour milk. Now, don't actually leave your milk out over night to make this bread, because, ew. To sour the milk for this recipe you simple add a little vinegar to curdle it before adding it to the batter. It gives the bread a little tang and depth, an excellent foil to the mellow and sweet banana. The chocolate chips and walnuts are completely optional, but so so so good. Enjoy!
** NOTE: To make a with gluten version, just use regular All Purpose Flour and remove the Xanthan Gum. To make vegan, switch out the milk and vinegar for rice milk and butter for coconut oil.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 oz (one stick) butter
3 cups mushed bananas (about 5 very ripe bananas)
2 eggs
2 cups gluten free flour (bob's red mill is my favorite)
1 tsp xantham gum
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, mix the milk and vinegar together, letting the milk curdle slightly (you'll see tiny clumps stick two a spoon). Sift together the dry ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. While on low, add the dry ingredients then the milk alternatively, ending with the milk. Add the vanilla. Turn off the mixer and fold in the bananas, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes. The doneness is mostly a "look" thing because if you spear it you'll probably hit melted chocolate or gooey banana. The loaf should be a deep golden brown and bounce back if you push into it. Slice and serve with a little butter. Enjoy!
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