I love quick breads. I eat them for breakfast, snacks, and dessert. But, oh my, so much sugar! AND I’m eating gluten-free! I have been tweaking my favorite quick breads over the years in each country I live in, and I’ve found banana bread to be the most flexible and easiest to make with not a drop or grain of extra sweetener of any kind! The bananas are all the sweetness it needs.
If you are not yet used to a low sugar diet, you could add a few tablespoons of sugar or honey, but try this without any to see if you like it! Everyone I serve it to loves it!
Better Banana Bread
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk (2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar in milk)
1 cup coconut oil, melted, or grapeseed oil
2-1/2 cups mashed bananas (6-7 small bananas – 5 inches)
3-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional for added flavor)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (optional for added flavor)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Coat two 9x4 inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Blend together the eggs, soured milk, oil and bananas.
- Add flour mixture to banana mixture and mix. Stir in pecans.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Ovens vary so watch carefully.
Note: This will work in a muffin pan or donut pan. Add a little extra milk to thin the batter just a little, then bake about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Gluten-free version:
Substitute with gluten-free all-purpose flour or the following flour combination for the 3 ½ cups of wheat-based flour:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 ¼ cups oat flour (broken or whole oats ground up)
- ¼ cup ground flax seeds
Note: Gluten-free baked goods take a bit longer to cook. In general, it’s better to use smaller baking pans so the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is cooked.