Gluten Free, All Natural No Xanthan Gum Banana Bread!

I'm not a food blogger, but if you're like me and have gluten sensitivity problems and are always looking for a good 'bread-type' gluten-free treat - look no further!

This is the best banana bread I've ever had, including the 'real kind'.

I have to avoid XANTHAN GUM which is in just about everything, especially gluten-free stuff!! Do you know what xanthan gum actually is? It's that black slimy rot that grows on vegetables to tell you to throw them away. They actually grow it, scrape it off, dry it and put it in EVERYTHING from puddings, ice cream, baked goods, sauces, toppings ... EVERYTHING!! And it gives me real distress, so if you're having issues, you may be sensitive to xanthan gum too. (It has actually killed infants, yet they feed it to us in everything!)

It's organic, simple, fool-proof and can be sized up or down to suit how many bananas you have on hand. 

Interested? Read on! 

If you've been around pre-internet, you may even recognize the "Current" recipe card (remember them? are they even still around?)

This is the only picture I took. I had no plans to post this, as I am not a food blogger. It turned out so great that I felt I should share it with everyone else who is gluten sensitive. 

Buckwheat flour has a kind of gingerbread flavor to me, so it really worked with this banana bread. 

All I did was substitute buckwheat flour for the white flour in a recipe I've been making for 45 years! 

I'm not sure where I got the original recipe, I thought it was a Betty Crocker recipe, but I just checked their site and their recipe has more than 2x the sugar. So it's not theirs.

Use the ripest (verging on bad) bananas you have. About 2 days after you would normally throw them out is about right.

Here's the recipe - it's simple!

Best Ever Natural Gluten Free Banana Bread 

1 Loaf

1 3/4 c. Buckwheat Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/3 c. Butter or Oil

2/3 c. Sugar

2 Eggs

1 c. Mashed Bananas *

* 1 banana is about 1/2 cup, mashed

Optional add-ins:

1/4 t nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c apricots, chopped

1/2 nuts (walnuts, pecans or brazil nuts, chopped)

1/2 c dates, prunes or raisins

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

Cream butter/oil, sugar and eggs.

Add the flour and banana about 1/3 at a time, alternating between banana and dry ingredients.

Pour into greased 9x5 bread pan.

Bake at 350' F for 40 - 60 min or until a pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

If you only have one banana, you can cut the measurements in half and make a small pan (that's what I did in the pictures)

If you have 4 bananas, double the recipe and make 2 loaves.

Let me know if you make it and how you like it!!