Banana bread can really be hit and miss. Especially if you are trying to do a gluten or sugar free one. This recipe was actually the result of a test I did using coconut nectar, which is meant to have a very low glycemic index. Spelt flour is not gluten free, but I can tolerate it better than wheat and I like the nutty taste whole grain flour gives to banana bread. As for the optional chocolate and pecans: if you like either of those ingredients, I highly recommend them.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of coconut oil
- 1/3 cup of coconut nectar (you could also use honey or maple syrup)
- 2 eggs
- 2-3 mashed bananas
- 1/4 cup of almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup of spelt flour (or your favorite gluten free flour if you prefer)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans – optional
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chunks (Note: this does add some sugar content to the recipe) – optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300-325 F
- Mix coconut oil, coconut nectar and eggs together until smooth and a uniformly golden color
- Mix in the mashed bananas. I put them in the blender but you can use a fork for this
- Stir in vanilla extract and milk
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl
- Incorporate them quickly into the liquid mixture. Don’t overmix
- Pour the batter into a greased bread pan and put in the oven for around 45 minutes. Please check regularly to test – depending on the oven and flour the time may vary
- Let it rest for 15 minutes once it is out of the oven before you unmold it and slice
Note: You can totally bake these in muffin tins – just reduce the baking time to around 20-25 minutes. It should yield 10 good size muffins.
