Vegan Banana Bread

Pictured: gluten free vegan banana bread

     This vegan banana bread is moist, spongy, sweet and has lots of delicious banana flavor. It can easily be made gluten free. To make this a lower fat bread I have substitued applesauce for most of the oil.

     If you are using an all purpose wheat flour the scoop and level method for measuring flour will work fine. If you are using an all purpose gluten free flour or making your own mixture I suggest that you measure the flour by weighing it. One thing gluten free baking has taught me is how important it is to weigh your flour. I'm not sure why kitchen scales are not a basic piece of equipment for most American kitchens. It is a very inexpensive item to buy and saves a lot in the end from not having to throw away baking disasters. Not all flour weights are created equal. For example, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of flour you have to know how many grams per cup are in the type of flour you are using. Each brand of flour will also give you a different measurement. You can find on the package nutrition label how many grams are in a serving, then you have to do the math to see how many grams are in the measurement you need. I created a chart for the flour measurements and weights of the flours I have used. There are a few listed on my chart that I didn't have the nutrition labels available and will add later. If I buy a new flour or switch to a different brand I will add it to my chart. This makes a nice quick reference when I am developing a recipe.

     Let's get baking now!

Banana Bread

Vegan, dairy-egg free, nut free, gluten free optional

Makes one loaf (12 slices- 3/4")

printable recipe

Dry Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
or 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
or 1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose baking mix.
1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ t. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

     Here is my gluten free mix for this recipe:
     ¼ c. (30g) millet flour

     ¾ c. (132g) sorghum flour

     ¼ c. (48g) potato starch

     ¼ c. (30g) tapioca starch

     ½ t. xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients-
1 egg replacer- 1 T. ground flaxseed meal + 3 T. water or EnerG egg replacer ( 1 1/2 t. + 2 T. water)

1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

½ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 T. extra virgin coconut oil (melted) or safflower oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 T. nondairy milk
½ cup coconut sugar or organic granulated sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

1. In a small bowl, mix together the egg replacer. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl stir together the mashed bananas, applesauce, oil, vanilla, milk and sugar. Set aside.

3. If using wheat flour: In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine. 

If using gluten flour mix: Weigh the individual flours and starches, one at a time. Add the weighed flours to a small bowl. Then add the xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.Whisk to combine.

Using a metal seive, sift the weighed flours into a large bowl. 

Weighing the gluten free flours.

First sifting of the gluten free flour mix. 

Double sifting helps to thoroughly combine the flours, 

xanthan gum and sift out lumps. If you have lumps, just use the
back of a spoon to press them through the seive, breaking them up.

4. To the flour bowl, add the wet ingredients (banana mixture and egg replacer mixture) . Stir with a spatula until everything is combined.

Batter will be thick but should have enough moisture for the dry ingredients to combine well with the wet ingredients. Gluten free flours vary in how they absorb liquids. The 2 T. nondairy milk has been enough for my mix. If you need to add additional milk, add it in small quantities, like ½ T. at a time.

5. Pour the batter into a 8.5 x 4.5 nonstick loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Cut with a serated knife and serve.

The crack that is formed on the top of a banana bread loaf 

is a characteristic of banana bread, indicating that the 

baking soda was doing its job.

Tip 1- If you have a gang that will eat you bread up quick then you don't need this next tip. Since I am baking mostly for a small crowd or myself these days, I like to slice the bread up, place a piece of wax paper between each slice, insert the bread into a loaf bag or place in Ziplock freezer bag and store in the freezer. Now I have individual servings available in the freezer. I will either place the bread on a plate and let thaw at room temperature or put in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Tip 2- Sometimes when the bread is baked a little to long the outer crust of the bread can be dry. If this happens just place the bread in a plastic bag or sealed container. Leave it for 30 minutes or longer. The moisture from the bread will soften the dry crust.