This gluten free banana bread is made with almond meal for a rich nutty flavor.
I'm one of those people who won't eat a banana, but I love banana bread. It's because I don't like the mushy consistency of bananas, but I don't mind the taste. My Mom made banana bread often when I was a kid, and it's one of my favorite breakfast foods. I thought that I would experiment with making a gluten free banana banana bread with almond meal. It took a couple tries, but I am really happy with the final recipe.
I should start by explaining what Almond Meal is. It's ground with the almond skins on, so it has flecks of brown in it, and it's slightly courser than almond flour. I used only almond flour for my first attempt at gluten free banana bread and while it was delicious, instead of rising in the center, the center was sunken, and the bread itself didn't hold together well. So I kept testing the recipe, and I learned that I needed to use almond meal instead of almond flour.
After some research, I learned that you need to use a mix of almond meal and gluten free flour to get it to rise in the center. Problem solved. The courser texture of the almond meal held the bread together and the gluten free flour helped it rise. Gluten free flour is usually not very good, you want to use it sparingly in recipes. It's made from a mix of flours, and the smell is less than appealing. (If you have a great gluten free flour suggestion, please share it in the comments). But! In this recipe the almond, banana, and walnut overwhelm the odd taste of the gluten free flour resulting in a delightful bread that you wouldn't even realize was gluten free!
How to Make Gluten Free Banana Bread:
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Butter at room temperature
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 3 over ripe Bananas
- 2 cups Almond Meal
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ cup Gluten Free Flour
- ¼ cup Chopped Walnuts
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Then in an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Then add the bananas and mix until smooth.
- Next add the almond meal. Once fully incorporated add the eggs and gluten free flour. Then add the walnuts, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla. Mix to incorporate.
- Pour the batter into a bread pan, and bake for 45-55 minutes. You want the bread to be golden brown, and you want a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread to come out clean.
