This is my favorite recipe (so far) from Erin McKenna’s BabyCakes cookbook. In case you’re not familiar, BabyCakes NYC is a famous New York City bakery known for it’s gluten-free and vegan offerings. I figured if I was going to take the plunge into the unfamiliar territory of gluten-free baking, this was the book to start with. It provided some great info on all the different ingredients they use and demystified things a bit for me. I recommend it if you’re so inclined to check it out. Here’s a link to their website…
http://www.babycakesnyc.com/
Being that I’m neither vegan nor gluten intolerant, my standards are fairly high for taste and texture. I can simply have the alternative if I want. I actually baked these alongside my family recipe and found myself reaching for this version over the wheat/dairy one, which I happen to love. They are super moist and flavorful and don’t need that little pat of butter the other kind demands. The chocolate chips are a happy addition although you can certainly skip them if you like.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel better with less wheat and dairy in their diet so it’s fun to find alternatives that make you feel like you’re still indulging!
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
from BabyCakes NYC
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (but not hot)
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup rice milk (I used coconut milk)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly oil a loaf pan with coconut oil.
Put your banana mashers to work if you have them…
Add melted oil, agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla to the dry ingredients.
Stir until smooth, the batter will be quite thick.
Gently fold in mashed bananas.
Add chocolate chips and fill prepared pan halfway with batter.
Bake on the middle rack of preheated oven for @ 35 – 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes clean. I actually underbaked mine at first attempt so make sure that toothpick is clean and the bread bounces back a bit when pressed! Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a cutting board.
I had to share this picture of my three silly girls (especially the one on the left!). You can see the one on the right can’t keep her hands out of the bread…
So very true…“The USDA is not our ally here. We have to take matters into our own hands, not only by advocating for a better diet for everyone – and that’s the hard part – but by improving our own. And that happens to be quite easy. Less meat, less junk, more plants.”
Mark Bittman