Oh my goodness. This banana bread.
I probably shouldn't admit this, but I just made my third loaf this week.
This past weekend (and the weekend before) was sorority recruitment for me, which meant not much sleep, a lot of meeting new girls, and falling behind in a lot of reading. At William and Mary, our recruitment isn't as taxing as many of the more southern sororities I've heard of, but, being introverted and easily tired, it definitely wore me out. (Not that I dislike recruitment overall… and let me say, we got some pretty great new members that I can't wait to get to know better.)
So this past Friday I had the bright idea of making banana bread, something I had been craving, to brighten my weekend and help me through the exhausting hours. I do a lot of "grocery shopping" in the dining hall, meaning had seven bananas in my cabinet that were very ripe and needed to be used. I eat a lot of bananas, which is strange for me because I've always hated them, but I am actually on a weird diet known as a low FODMAP diet right now, which means I can't really eat sugar. So bananas have become my go to when I need a sweet fix, and they are so versatile: usually when I have too many I freeze them for smoothies and banana ice cream (more on this later), or I use them to sweeten breakfast bowls and other dishes (or even make two-ingredient pancakes). Bananas are pretty high in sugary carbs, but since they stand in for virtually anything in baked goods -- sugar, fat/oil, or even the flour/grains (just not all at once!) -- I do end up eating a lot of them. And bananas, of course, havea lot of health benefits too, from providing potassium, manganese, vitamins B and C, and fiber, to their ability to aid in digestion! For the science, see here, here, and here.
So back to this banana bread. Holy cow, is it amazing. If you are on a restricted diet like I am, you'll appreciate that it is dairy free, gluten free, and can even be added-sugar free! But if those labels don't appeal to you, don't let them distract you from the beauty that is this loaf: even without the "free" labels, this is one of the best banana breads I have ever tasted. It almost has the texture of a pound cake, being moist, rich, and dense, but then the banana lightens it up a little and makes it a quick bread instead of a cake. Seriously, if I didn't make it myself, I would nevr believe this bread was gluten and dairy free. How lucky for me, since I have to avoid those two things!
Since I love baking (probably thanks to my mother), I have always found it hard to stick to restrictive diets (and believe me, I would never do a diet like this to lose weight or anything, and I don't suggest anyone else try to follow this diet. I am only doing it because of some digestive issues that I don't need to go into here.) So whenever I find a recipe that tastes even better than the original – and please believe me as I profess my love for this bread – it makes me incredibly happy, which is why I couldn't help but share it with my readers.
I live in my sorority house, and this bread has been approved by many of my sorority sisters. I am actually a little embarrassed for having baked the same banana bread three times in one week, but it is just that good.
I have to be honest, I don't know if I would consider this bread "healthy." It has its perks, yes, and it's absolutely wonderful that I can eat it on my special diet. You can make the recipe without added sugar if you want – honestly, I like at least 2 tablespoons – in which case the only sugar is coming from the natural sugars in bananas. The only oil is 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, and while the health of that oil has been much debated (even in my past posts), it is probably healthier than butter (and definitely healthier than margarine or anything with trans fats). The almond meal is low carb and provides healthy fats as well. So as far as a snack or a treat goes, I think this bread is a pretty good bet.
I adapted this recipe from a gluten free banana bread by Minimalist Baker. If you haven't been on that blog, definitely check it out; she makes some pretty amazing food. I personally don't do well with oats, and I know a lot of people on gluten free diets don't either, so I cut those out.
Gluten Free Dairy Free Banana Bread
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
4 medium ripe bananas (~2 cups)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup sugar (you can cut this out if you have really ripe bananas, or substitute coconut sugar)
3.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened almond or dairy milk
1 1/4 cup almond meal
2.5 cups gluten free flour blend
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a breadpan with nonstick spray (I really like coconut oil spray and haven't had a problem with the bread coming out of the pan).
2. Mash banana in a large bowl. Add all ingredients through almond milk and whisk vigorously to combine. Last add almond meal, gluten free flour and stir.
3. Bake for 1 hour. When ready, it should feel firm and be crackly and golden brown on top. Check with a knife or toothpick in the center of the banana bread; if it comes out clean, the bread is done. (When the bananas I used were smaller, it took 55 minutes, and larger bananas took 65 minutes, so make sure to check that it's done before removing from the oven, and keep an eye on it near the end of the cooking time!)
4. Let cool on a cooling rack. (Be gentle when removing the bread from the pan!)
5. Store leftovers in a covered container for up to a few days. Slice and freeze for longer term storage. (It is best when warm, and it really is difficult not to eat the whole loaf!)
(Nutrition information below is for banana bread without added sugar. Adding 1/4 cup sugar adds about 4 grams of sugar and 15 calories per serving.)
