I had invited some friends over for a Saturday afternoon ‘tea’, at the time thinking that the ‘tea’ might be more of the type that goes with G&. However, having noticed a couple of days before said afternoon get-together, a bunch of bananas languishing beyond the point of firmness in the fridge, I decided that I would try to turn them into banana bread, and stick to a more traditional afternoon tea.

There were a number of hurdles standing  between me and the bananas, and the desired future-state baked item. One, I do not bake. Not on principle or anything, but it’s just not really my thing. Two, I am a glutard, which probably plays a large part in number one. Three, as a non-baker, I do not have any of the mixing equipment usually required for such a pursuit.

Ingredients for gluten, dairy, and refined sugar-free, paleo banana bread

Someone in my Instagram feed had been posting, just a few weeks earlier, shot after shot of banana bread, and I felt sure I could find them. I couldn’t. I asked Google, but wasn’t sure that I could trust such a tricky thing to just anyone on  the internet. Then I found Julia at the Roasted Root. She had just what I was looking for and, seeing her photo on her website, felt that I could trust her.

And it worked! It really worked! It perhaps resembles a slice more than bread (/cake), but it’s delicious, easy to make, and just about anyone, save the banana-averse can eat it. Give it a go. Julia’s recipe is below.

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(Julia’s recipe is American and calls for 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Aparently the thing for Australians to do is mix bicarb soda with cream of tartar, but I didn’t have any cream of tartar and as a non-baker, can’t recommend the right amount here. Mine worked fine with the ingredients below. Presumably it would rise more with the addition of cream of tartar. Bakers, please advise!)

What you need:

  • 4 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 4 ripe bananas mashed (2  cups)
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon bicarb soda

What you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 12 loaf tin.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana, beaten eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract (wet mixture).
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, bicarb soda and cream of tartar if using (dry mixture).
  4. Pour the dry mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture and stir until combined. Allow batter to sit for 5 minutes before pouring it into the prepared loaf tin. Bake on the center rack in the oven for 40 to 55 minutes, until loaf tests clean.
  5. Remove bread from the oven and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a cutting board. Cut thick slices and serve with butter.

Thanks Julia! http://www.theroastedroot.net/coconut-flour-banana-bread-paleo/

 

PS: It also freezes really well.