Better Banana Bread

Last weekend I road-tripped to Lake Tahoe with five gal pals. It didn’t take us long to break into the homemade banana bread. (I mean, who doesn’t love good ol’ banana bread?) However, I’d brought two versions and was itching for a taste test. Hands down, they preferred our “new and improved” banana bread, made with Pamela’s Wheat-free, Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix and coconut oil, to our trustworthy recipe in our Bride and Groom Cookbook.

The big difference between these two recipes is that the older one calls for all-purpose flour and canola oil; the new one uses Pamela’s pancake mix and coconut oil. The new combination gives the bread a great, fly-away texture. Oh, and we did sneak a little crumble topping on at the last minute and it rocks!

Even our kids, after so many years of loving the tried-and-true Bride and Groom version, agreed that this recipe is the new benchmark for yummy banana bread. William belted out, between swigs of raw milk, “This version rules!” It’s unanimous in our households. Let us know what y’all think!

• 1 cup banana puree, from 2 large ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temp (unrefined is preferable, but refined is fine too)
• 1/4 cup turbinado, or brown sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups Pamela’s gluten-free pancake mix (see note)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

For topping:

• 2 tablespoons butter (or 1 tablespoon each coconut oil and butter), melted
• 1/4 cup turbinado, or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Pamela’s gluten-free pancake mix
• 1/4 cup oats
• pinch salt
• sprinkle cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the peeled bananas in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Measure 1 cup banana puree and set aside. Whisk together oil, sugar, banana, eggs, and vanilla in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Whisk dry ingredients into wet ones. Pour mixture into a greased 8 by 4-inch bread pan (metal one works a tad better than glass). We grease the pan with coconut oil followed by a dusting of Pamela’s mix or you can use the nonstick spray.

For topping, mix melted butter (or butter-coconut oil mixture) with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over the top and press lightly into the batter. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until tester comes out with lose crumbs attached. We always check after about 30 minutes and usually need to cover the bread loosely with foil so it doesn’t get too brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Yield: 8×4-inch loaf

Note: Pamela’s wheat-free & gluten-free baking & pancake mix is made primarily of rice flour, almond meal and tapioca starch, and is the base for so many recipes in our households. The pancake recipe on the back of the package is fantastic, as are the biscuits and the scones. This is great for people who eat gluten free. Just note that this recipe is gluten free ONLY if you omit the oatmeal in the topping. If you want, just substitute with nuts or add 3 more tablespoons of the Pamela’s mix.