On the long sunshiny Wednesdays (about May through September) a ruffian crew of mountain bikers gather atop Skyline Blvd for a sufferfest ala Skeggs. While this tradition has been waging from many years, I've only been a handful of times. Now that school's out for summer, I have the time and energy to spare on this awesome adventure. The crew usually hangs out post-puke-inducing-ride for some tasty treats {note to self, puke and tasty should not be in the same sentance}. I contributed banana bread--oddly appropriate considering the ginormous banana slug we found at the picnic table.
I needed to drop off a textbook at school, Canada College, so I decided to make a ride out of it. I hopped on the mountain bike and spent two hours riding from home, to Canada College, up Kings Mountain, to Skeggs Lookout Point. Then we went for a mountain bike ride. See the geekery here::
Finally, it was time to devour the fruits of my labor. When it comes to recipes, I prefer the Frankenstein approach. I find one, and then alter the crap out of it to make it gluten free. Some key tips I've learned along the way: replace equal parts wet ingredients with dry ones, be careful when replacing binders, and baking soda ALWAYS needs a wet acidic ingredient to counteract its taste. This banana bread is most likely the healthiest out, and isn't the crazy sweet stuff one typically finds. This morning it made the perfect breakfast, toasted and lightly buttered. Overall, I'm happy with it, but want to work on the flavor to give it more pizzazz. You know how I feel about sparkle!
Hippy Healthy Banana Bread:{or hhbb for short ;p }
Ingredients:
2 eggs, set whites aside for the very end
1/3 c + 1 tbsp sugar
1/3 c + 1 tbsp ground GF flaxseed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp GF vanilla
1/2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 c mashed ultra ripe bananas {when your bananas get too ripe, throw them in the fridge to save for later}
1/3 c special buttermilk {cover bottom of 1/3c cup with raw apple cider vinegar, fill the rest of cup up with 2% reduced fat milk, let sit five minutes}
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill GF all purpose baking flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped raw walnuts
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The original recipe called for a lot more sugar. I'm veering on the healthy side so I replaced more than half the sugar with ground flaxseed.
Mix egg yolks, sugar, and ground flaxseed in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
Then add buttermilk, oil, vanilla, raw apple cider vinegar, and smashed bananas. Don't overdo it, just combine them.
In a separate bowl, finely sift together dry ingredients: GF flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt. This step is important because it reduces the chances of overworking the dough once dry and wet are combined.
Mix the dry into the wet ingredients. Add chopped walnuts simultaneously. This step is tricky. The mixture will be on the doughy side because the egg whites have not been added. Do not overwork the mixture. Just combine the two with a spatula.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat the inside of a 9"x5" pyrex dish {or equivalent volume} with butter. Yes, butter. It's not anywhere in the recipe, and it gives the crust a nice crispy texture, so just do. Indulge a little.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed. Very gently fold the whites into the batter until they're just combined. This step is crucial in good gluten free baking. It gives your baked goods that nice springy-fluffy-cake-like consistency that's usually lacking.
Fill pan, smooth off top with spatula, and bake for about one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Original recipe::
