Over the past week I’ve managed to busy every hour in my schedule, some of it consisting of catching up with some family I hadn’t seen in a while. My family was gifted a bag of unshelled pecans from San Saba, Texas.

We LOVE pecans. They can be added to anything: salads, oatmeal, chile relleno … and most importantly, banana bread. It all worked out perfectly. There were even 3 ripened bananas in our kitchen.

So I made a trip to our local grocery store and bought the only ingredient I needed: Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix.

I’ve had an interesting relationship with breads in the past. I’ve never really made a banana bread that completely met my standards. But the gluten-free flour base really does make all the difference.

The difference with baking breads like banana bread or pumpkin bread is that, unlike cakes, we should aim for a denser texture. For a denser bread, add butter to your recipe instead of oil — I used oil.

Banana bread is nice to enjoy with a good book and big cup of tea. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

• 3 ripened bananas, mashed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Blend oil, sugar and egg and slowly add in flour mixure.
4. Add milk, mashed bananas and vanilla until and mix well.
5. Slowly mix in pecans using a spatula.
6. Pour the mixture into a well-greased loaf pan and bake for 60-75 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure center is set.