Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe - GF, DF, RSF - Mountainside Bakery (2024)

FAQs

Why did my gluten free banana bread not rise? ›

Of course make sure that your yeast and baking powder is still active and fresh. Your bread will not rise if your yeast or baking powder has expired. A dense loaf could also be the result of not measuring your ingredients accurately.

The most common reason your bread is gummy, sticky, or doughy in the middle is that your bread didn't bake long enough. Gluten free dough needs to be baked much longer than regular bread dough. There was a high level of liquid ingredients in your recipe.

Use Psyllium Husk Powder as a binder for better Gluten Free Bread. Without gluten, bread dough lacks elasticity and the "stickiness" needed to hold together. Binders like xanthan gum, psyllium husk, guar gum and to some extent flaxmeal and chia seeds are used to perform the function of gluten.

According to The Spruce Eats, early gluten-free bread iterations in the 90s heavily relied on rice, corn, potato starches, and xanthan gum to help the texture and elasticity. When it comes to gluten-free baking, starches can emulate the structural backbone of gluten and gums can support the viscosity.

Use a gluten-free flour blend that is specifically designed for bread baking. This blend will typically contain a variety of flours, such as rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch, as well as gums and starches that help to bind the dough and give it structure. Add psyllium husk powder to the dough.

Rice flour(s): A combination of brown rice flour and white rice flour, with their ideal balance of protein and starch, provide bulk and mildly sweet, neutral flavor. The rice flours are finely ground so they absorb liquid quickly and evenly.

One of the main challenges in making gluten-free bread is achieving the same texture and rise as traditional wheat bread.

Apple cider vinegar or another acid lightens up the dough. You can add up to 4 Tbsp of acid for 500 g gluten-free flour. Don't worry, you won't be able to taste it afterwards. To lighten up a yeast dough even more, you can add a packet of baking powder or cream of tartar baking powder to 500 g flour.

My homemade gluten free sandwich bread recipe calls for instant yeast, which may also be labeled as quick rise. If you'd like to substitute active dry yeast instead, you can, but you'll need to take a few extra steps.

If you can let the gluten free bread dough rise overnight in a cool — not warm — place, the slower rise will provide a stronger cell structure and more of a sourdough flavor when baked the next day. A refrigerated overnight rise is a great way to get a longer proof without weakening the bread's structure.

Why is gluten-free bread so expensive? ›

Additional items such as thickeners, tapioca and maize starches are added to gluten-free recipes to improve viscosity and keep baked items in shape. That means a longer ingredient list and a slightly more complex manufacturing process. So, from an ingredient perspective, gluten-free bread costs more than regular bread.

The gluten in traditional flour is what gives dough its stickiness. Without it, gluten-free products can be dry and crumbly. There is a way to compensate for this however — use xanthan gum. Some bakers also use gelatin or agar.

The most common binder in gluten-free baking is eggs. Eggs can replace many of the functions that gluten provides, such as binding, enhancing texture and helping set the structure of the final product.

If you want to buy just one gluten-free flour, we highly recommend the Pillsbury all-purpose gluten-free flour. Not only is it our favorite gluten-free flour, and easy to use in gluten-free recipes, but it's also one of the few gluten-free flours currently on the market that is recommended for baking with yeast.

Keep in mind that some processed gluten-free foods contain high amounts of unhealthy ingredients such as sodium, sugar and fat. Consuming these foods can lead to weight gain, blood sugar swings, high blood pressure and other problems. So, a gluten-free label doesn't necessarily make a food healthy.

Even though you can't fix a banana bread that didn't rise, use this opportunity to check if your baking powder is still good and your baking soda too. You might need to replace them. Then analyze the recipe you used: are you sure there is enough leavening agent in the recipe for the quantity of batter?

YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free.

Dough may not have been kneaded enough. Kneading 'exercises' the gluten in the bread and gives it the elasticity to hold in the air bubbles produced by the yeast. It is these air bubbles that cause the dough to expand and rise.

Expectations: No question about it, gluten-free breads are denser than wheat breads, and they don't rise as high. Plus, they get most of their loft in the hot oven (that's called oven spring). Don't expect to see a lot of visible change while the loaf is resting (after its shaped).