Gluten-Free Date Orange Banana Bread
A perfectly sweet treat, this gluten-free date orange banana bread is perfect for breakfast, as a snack or with your favorite coffee or tea.
I’m not going to lie, I love a good banana bread, especially if it’s plain with minimal ingredients. Sometimes I like to throw in some chocolate chips and while it’s really yummy it’s not my favorite. I had some very ripe bananas sitting on my counter and thought about the dates I just bought and I knew I had to put the two together. Adding in some orange juice and zest gave it the perfect level of sweetness. There is just a hint of orange flavoring so it’s not overpowering. My husband, who really only eats chocolate based desserts kept going back each day until it was gone so I know it’s a winner. Â
Consider this the perfect winter or spring dessert. You can really make it any time of year. However, winter is citrus season so it’s a perfect time to us the oranges in their peak season. It also is great for spring holidays, especially if you’re hosting guests for Easter. This date orange banana bread is great with coffee or your favorite tea.
What Color Should Bananas Be For Banana Bread
The best color banana for making banana bread is yellow with brown spots, the more the better. I like mine to be almost black if I can wait that long. The darker the skin the better but you can certainly make a beautiful banana bread with a yellow banana with some spots.
To ripen bananas quickly simply place bananas with peel still on onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 400 F for about 5 min until the peel is black. Remove from the oven let cool then proceed with your recipe.
You can sometimes grab a few singles that have started to brown at the supermarket. Usually they have an area where they set these aside just for this purpose.
How to Make Gluten-Free Date Orange Banana Bread
First off, I love dates, they are the perfect snack when I’m hitting my afternoon slump and looking for something sweet. Dates can be found in the produce section. This recipe calls for four dates. Grab them first before baking and soak them in hot water to soften them, while you get the rest of the ingredients together. This recipe uses the zest of one orange and three tablespoons of orange juice. You can omit the zest if you don’t buy oranges but make sure you add the orange juice, it really enhances the flavor. You will only need two medium bananas for this recipe. You can also make this recipe dairy-free by using whatever dairy-free milk you want in this.
Gluten-Free Date Orange Banana Bread
Materials
- 4 Dates make sure there are no pit fragments
- 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 tsp Xanthan gum use only if using GF flour and it doesn't have it already added
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup Mashed Banana about 2 medium, plus one whole to put on top of the batter
- 1/2 cup Regular or Non-Dairy
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Vegetable or canola oil
- 3 tbsp Orange juice
- Zest of one orange
- 1-2 tbsp Raw or turbinado Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° FGrease 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
- Place the 4 dates in a cup of hot water to soften about 5 min.
- Place the sugar in a small bowl and zest the orange into it. Rub the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour (plus xanthan gum if needed), baking powder and salt. Add in the sugar with the orange zest and mix well.
- Drain and chop the dates into small pieces then add to the flour mixture stirring to ensure they are coated in the flour.
- In a separate bowl combine egg, mashed banana, vanilla, milk, oil, and orange juice. Mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until moistened.
- Add batter to the greased or lined loaf pan.
- Cut a whole banana in half lengthwise and place the cut side facing up onto the batter.
- Sprinkle the top of the batter with raw or turbinado sugar. (Optional)
- Bake at 350°F for approx 1 hour or until tester comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 min, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Cool completely before cutting into it.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Recipes You May Like
I was looking for a dairy free coffee cake to make for a friend coming to do some work and I found this one. I have the ripe bananas, dates, coco ut/almond milk and oranges. Will be trying it tomorrow, thanks.
I hope you love it.