Harvey's Glazed Chocolate Banana Bread

Hey all you PNW folk. I got something for you.

Oh, you've seen this before?

Maybe in the refrigerator/recycling bin of every other house you visit during the holidays? Maybe in the silent auction baskets at church? Maybe you've found yourself surrounded by loud, pink-cheeked loved ones who deem it a better time than ever to declare their unending love for you, followed by a nice bear hug? Well, that's the Harv's, spreading cheer.

I bought a tub for a nice little soiree we were having, along with some amazingly cheap rum made by the Captain himself. However, the night went on and really - who wants to drink something hot when the house itself feels like the Caribbean? Yeah, turns out no one. My friends are sane.

So the happy yellow tub got pushed to the back of the fridge until I unearthed it while digging around for that darn chocolate buttercream I had saved somewhere...and decided to put Harv's to use instead. And then I found pickles to make a sandwich. Then I saw my toes and decided to paint them. Then 4 hours of distractions later and hey, let's make some "quick" bread.

The title may not seem all too breadlike, given that it contains both "glazed" and "chocolate," but there actually is very minimal sugar and the chocolate comes only from cocoa powder. I do have to admit that it was not my self control to refrain from adding chocolate chips, but the boy's. He's got will power for daaaaays.

I baked this in an 8x8 glass baking dish instead of a load pan - either would work, so do whatever floats your fancy. Just do it.

Harvey's Glazed Chocolate Banana Bread
mildly adapted from Gluten-Free Girl

1 cup of your favorite gluten-free flour mix (I used Pamela's)
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup teff flour
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
8 oz. plain yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup applesauce
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe, mashed bananas
a little extra mixture of cinnamon and sugar (optional)


How You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease your baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon.

3. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk egg completely; add in applesauce, butter and vanilla extract.

4. Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add in your wet stuff; stir together with a spatula.

5. Fold in banana and mix until all is incorporated.

6. Scrape your dough into the greased baking dish; smooth and sprinkle on some cinnamon and sugar mixture.

7. Bake for about 40 minutes - test it out with a knife in the middle.

'Za

As in pizza. With GF crust! The boy was pretty thrilled to be reintroduced to such a staple from his previous, gluteny (not to be confused with gluttony) life. It happened by accident, actually. I planned on some spaghetti squash casserole concoction, but thank goodness spaghetti squash isn't in season, because there still would be a gaping hole in his life where a nice slice (or 3) of 'za should be. However, the spag. sq. will be tested in the near future, given that cantaloupes wills soon make way for pumpkins in the produce department.

It was my first time adapting an all-purpose flour recipe to that of one with zero gluten ingredients. It was exciting, being able to experiment with new ingredients and see what becomes of them. (Daring, too. GF flours are not on the cheap side, and to toss them around with abandon is not something I want to make a habit of). I cheated, however, and used the pre-mixed GF all-purpose flour blend from Bob's Red Mill. I'm having a hard time finding some of the prime substitutes such as soghum flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, etc. I feel like I've been utilizing my Amazon account way too much lately, but if I can't find GF ingredients in stores, what else is a girl supposed to do?

And you know what? This 'za was GOOD! Of course, I could put all the credit towards the toppings - red onions, fresh garden tomatoes (!), a layer of spinach, garlic, and asparagus. It's really impossible to go wrong with vegetables. The crust was a bit dense, which I've read can be a trademark for GF baked goods. However, I also need to remember that food sans gluten will not mimic the foods you are used to eating with gluten. But that's not a bad thing - it's a learning thing.

I followed Isa Moskowitz's vegan pizza dough from her book "Vegan with a Vengeance."

*If you are a vegan, or even not, I recommend this cookbook. Isa is some serious fun, and her recipes follow suit.