The sweet life
Many years ago, my cousin’s husband, Bob, gave me his banana bread recipe. I made it so often, that I became known for it (also, I became known for my brownies which is a James Beard recipe). Since I was diagnosed several years back with an intolerance to gluten, dairy, and eggs, I decided this year to transform my baking recipes into Vegan and Gluten-Free (GF) versions.
Vegan and GF Banana Bread
1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
3 Tbsp. water
1-1 1/2 Bananas (about 1/2 C. mashed)
1/4 C. vegan “butter”
1/2 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. plant or nut milk (I used oat milk)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. GF flour (I used Cup 4 Cup)
A pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon
Optional: add 1/3 C chopped nuts or vegan chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Mix the flaxseed and water (a flax “egg”) and set aside. Melt the vegan “butter” and pour into a bowl. Add the sugar and milk and stir until combined. Add the vanilla and baking soda and stir again. Add the flour, mashed banana, and the flax mixture flax egg. Stir until well combined, but don’t over mix. Grease two little loaf pans and fill each pan 2/3-3/4 full. Bake for 30-35 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Store in the fridge for a week or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 2 little loaves.
Notes: Double the recipe for a large loaf pan (9” X 5”). For two flax eggs use 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed and 5 Tbsp. water. Also, I have found that Cup 4 Cup Gluten-free flour is the best for baking (a recommendation from a friend of a friend).
