Gluten-Free Banana Bread

I have been gluten-free since about age 9, not having bread is nothing new to me. And honestly, most times I don’t miss it.  Truth be told, I really only “crave” bread when I make a grilled cheese for the hubs. Some one needs to invent a gluten-free, dairy-free version of that sammy 😉 Not that it would taste remotely like the real thing…. but I’m here to tell you about banana bread.

I guess I lied earlier, banana bread is one thing I tend to miss too. There is an easy fix for that – the recipe below.  There are always ‘nanners in my house but they rarely go unused long enough to make good banana bread. So when I had a bunch ripen much faster than I expected, it was the first sign that I should treat myself to making a loaf. The second sign came a few days later when I found out a friend’s mom just eliminated gluten from her diet. For those who have gone gluten-free later in life, you know how challenging the transition is. Old habits die hard, carb habits die much harder. Since I almost never finish a loaf by myself and sharing gluten-free banana bread with those who can have the real things is sac-religious, I knew my friend’s mom needed this little glimmer of hope in her new gluten-free life.

New recipes always bear fun little surprises. Either I read the original recipe incorrectly or my tweaking to it created more batter. In any case, coming back into the kitchen from folding laundry to find my banana bread was overflowing from the loaf pan was not a fun surprise. With some quick maneuvering, I was able to save my oven from being a mess and get a bonus  mini loaf of ‘nanner bread.

The texture and flavor is awesome, life is good, and it’s Friday.

The original recipe is at this link: http://tiaskitchen.com/gluten-free-banana-bread-dairy-free-and-vegan/

{Gluten-free Banana Bread}

[Ingredients]

• 2 cups Gluten-free Flour blend (I used Kinnikinnick’s Bread flour)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 TBSP cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 medium, very ripe, bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

[Directions]

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mash bananas. I used my KitchenAid mixer with the whisk attachment on low.
3. Add brown sugar and mix until just combined being careful not to overmix.
4. Add egg, oil, and vanilla. Mix until just combined, again being cautious not to overmix.
5. In a separate bowl, combine GF flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet in increments of about 1 cup at a time. Mix in dry to wet until moistened then add next cup of dry mixture. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the wet.
7. Pour 3/4 of batter into a greased loaf pan. Pour remainder into a greased smaller loaf pan or any other oven safe receptacle.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes. I covered mine just over halfway through with foil to prevent the top from being too dark.
9. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

Cheers,

Danielle

Pesto Bacon Loaf

Last weekend Dan, myself, and my family traveled to Minnesota for my cousin’s wedding.  My dad is a private pilot so we usually enjoy the luxury of jumping in the plane, taking a groggy 3 hour nap & waking up in Minnesota. Mother Nature had other plans for our means of travel for this trip, though. With impending dark cloud cover, quickly dropping temperatures, and forecasted rain, we were resigned to traveling the good old fashion way – in a car. In all honesty, I enjoyed the extra hours I got to spend with Dan, my sister, and her husband.  Driving all night, however, was not such a treat.

With the day off from work the day of our departure, I figured it’d be nice to whip something up to munch on during our travels. I had left over fresh basil from the Tomato Basil soup & decided the best way to use it would be to make pesto.  If you’re like me, you don’t keep pine nuts stocked in your pantry. But, I did have walnuts. So I plucked the basil leaves, dumped the walnuts in the food processor, adding a clove of garlic, drizzled in some olive oil, & whizzed the little machine until I had a nice smooth mixture. I added in some grated Parmesan & a bit more EVOO, pulsed the food processor a few more time and I had a beautiful dark green, aromatic, fresh pesto within a matter of 5 minutes. I used some pesto to make Daniel an egg white sandwich that morning, check out my Instagram feed for the picture.

We had opened a package of bacon a few days prior & since we would be gone for three days, I wanted to use it before we left so it wouldn’t spoil. Daniel wouldn’t have protested but I didn’t want to serve him a half pound of bacon along side his sandwich that morning. So I cooked it until it was nice & crispy so I could easily crumble the crisp strips to sprinkle on the loaf of bread I was planning on making.

The Pesto Bacon loaf turned out beautifully. The dough was extremely easy to make & work with. And there is nothing better than the smell of homemade bread. My dad & Dan swooned over the thick slices I cut for them once the bread had cooled. And, much to my delight, my Mom was amazed that I had created such a wonderful thing. The recipe is below, I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!

{Basil-Walnut Pesto}

1.5 packages of fresh Basil leaves (I used the small packages)

6 ounces raw walnuts

1 clove garlic

EVOO, enough to get things moving then to taste

Grated Parmesan, to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients to food processor & pulse until smooth.

{Pesto Bacon Loaf}

I found the bread recipe here: http://www.bellatheblog.com/2014/09/easy-fall-entertaining-2-tips-and.html

Ingredients

• 1 C and 2 Tbsp warm water
• 1/3 C vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp (2 packages) yeast
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 4 1/4 C flour
• Corn meal for dusting pan
• Basil-Walnut Pesto
• 1 to 1.5 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• Half pound cooked & crumbled bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees\

2. In a bowl, mix warm water, yeast, sugar, & oil. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

3. Add egg & salt.

4. Add flour, a cup at a time, incorporating until the dough is sticky but not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add more flour if needed.

Note: I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the dough hook to do this step & required a little less than the called for amount of flour.

5. Grease & lightly dust with corn meal a jelly roll pan or casserole dish

6.  Leave dough ball in bowl & let rise 20-30 minutes

7. Slightly flour a clean surface. Roll out dough ball to about the size of a medium pizza, rough 12 inches.

8. Spread pesto, crumbled bacon, & grated mozzarella cheese over the dough.

9. Roll & tuck the ends under to form a loaf.

10. Place on greased & dusted pan then bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on the outside & fully cooked in the middle.

Note: Check on your loaf about half way through the cooking time to ensure the outside is not burning. I had to cover mine with a sheet of foil to prevent the crust from becoming burnt.

11. Allow to cool then cut & enjoy

The great thing about this loaf is that it is a great stand alone & could be used as an appetizer. It would compliment a bowl of soup or pasta. I toasted it then topped it with scrambled eggs for Dan’s breakfast a few mornings, as well. You could also cut the loaf before baking to create pinwheel biscuits.

Cheers,

Danielle