So freaking obsessed with Glen Templeton right now…I mean, the remake Let Her Go? I seriously cry in my car so much these days. I just thought you should know that. And when I cry, obviously, baking and sweets are generally involved.

Except it’s made with bananas. Which are fruit. So this is basically diet food.

OK. I harp on this a lot but when baking gluten free goodies of any kind, flour choice is critical. I used Namaste Foods All Purpose here, and feel free to use another GF all purpose or “one-for-one,” just be warned that results may vary. There is no such thing as a one-for-one gluten free flour, you guys. I love this article on the matter and highly suggest following recipes as written. If they mention an “all purpose blend,” figure out which one was used in the original. Side story…I totally wrecked a banana bread recipe from Taste of Home earlier in the day using Bob’s Red Mill’s new “1-for-1.” One of these days I’ll learn.

When you do have all your ingredients on hand, make sure they’re room temperature. I’m not 100% sure why this works, but I’ve had good luck with it. That means letting your eggs, milk, or whatever else may have been in the fridge sit on the counter for a little bit. I’m also told that you shouldn’t overmix (same rule of thumb for a lot of recipes with wheat flour), but then again I’ve also been told that it doesn’t matter since, well, there’s no gluten protein to overwork. Jury’s still out on that one. I generally mix my batters until they look good to go, but I’ve definitely let my yeast breads sit in the mixer for a while and they came out beautifully. I just…don’t know.

Oh! I would definitely recommend using a cast iron baking pan as well. Cast iron anything is pretty rockin’…both for the environment and for your body, but it also distributes heat amazingly well and lasts forever. I got mine for like $20 on Amazon. I do, still, line my pans with parchment paper since I’m so paranoid about sticking…with GF stuff it’s kind’ve a crap shoot.

So, yeah, those are my two cents on gluten free baking, at least as it pertains to banana bread. My husband told me this was the best gluten free baked goodie I’ve ever made, so I’m proud of that…too bad the recipe isn’t really mine

The texture of this banana bread is a bit denser than some more cake-like banana breads I’ve had in the past. It’s super rich, though, thanks to the butter. If you want to lighten it up, I’d try using a liquid oil (like avocado oil or another heat stable one that’s liquid at room temp) and maybe even using a tablespoon or two less flour than this recipe calls for. As with anything, don’t make too many drastic changes at once unless you’re prepared for a disaster, but then again, I’ve gone hog wild on a few things in my time that turned out great. You’re welcome for my unfettered wisdom.

Recipe adapted from Namaste Foods.