Paleo Banana Bread 3 Ways
Or all the ways, basically. You can put whatever fruit you want in this loaf recipe. You can add cacao or not. Versatile, moist and fluffy … this is a recipe that I played around with a LOT in my little test kitchen until I perfected something that rivaled my old Betty Ctocker banana bread recipe chock full of grains and white sugar.
Not only is it versatile in how you may choose to mix up a batch (or double batch as it were, since I never bake in single batches hence not ever posting single batch recipes when it comes to baked goods), but there are so many ways you can eat it too! Plain is always a good start. We’ve also played around with smearing some almond butter on it with sliced strawberries or slicing the loaf lengthwise, three times, to layer with coconut whipped bream and fresh berries. Last night I brought a loaf to a BBQ and halved and sliced it up to serve with some fresh cherries for dessert.
Banana bread is a quintessential anytime food. Breakfast, snackage or dessert … it hits the spot. I have yet to try it topped or wrapped with bacon. I don’t want to hear about it if you decide to do that. Blasphemy.
My Top 3 Ways Are …
→ With (2 c.) seasonal fresh or frozen fruit added and poured into muffins trays instead of loaf pans
→ Loaves topped with a maple sugar, himalayan pink sea salt nut and dried fruit crumble (walnuts or peacans with dried cherries and a little bit of maple or coconut sugar)
→The addition of raw cacao to make dark chocolate banana loaves! (Add 1/2 c. of raw cacao powder to the double batch recipe below and remove a 1/2 c. of the almond flour.)
As my paleo baking adventures evolve I’m discovering that most cakes, breads, muffins and other such niceties taste better when left alone for a few hours. Never straight out of the oven. There’s just something about that magical science of baking wherein all of the ingredients really bond and cuddle up to one another to create the perfect texture. This bread in particular is best the next day! I’ve gotten into the habit of whipping up a double batch at night, whenever I have enough brown bananas, for everyone to enjoy in the morning …
- 3½ c. almond flour (3 c. if making chocolate banana bread)
- OPTIONAL: (so do it!) ½ c. raw cacao powder
- 1 c. coconut flour
- 6. tbsp. arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp. gluten free baking powder
- 4 tsp. gluten free baking soda
- 1 tsp. pink himalayan sea salt
- 12 eggs
- 1¼ c. melted coconut oil or ghee
- 1 c. REAL maple syrup (dark is best!)
- ½ c. coconut milk (or almond or cashew)
- 2 tsp. madagascar vanilla
- 4 c. mashed, over-ripe bananas
- ***OPTIONAL FRUIT FILL: 2 c. fresh or frozen fruit. I used cranberries as shown above
- ***OR - OPTIONAL CRUMBLE TOPPING: ½ c. each of crushed pecans or walnuts and dried cherries (or blueberries or cranberries) with 1 tbsp. of maple or cocnut sugar and a pinch of pink himalayan sea salt
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease muffin or bread pans with coconut oil or ghee and line with parchment cups or sheets.
- Begin by rougly mashing up your ripe bananas. I like to use a potato masher. Set aside. The rest is simple! Whisk all of your dry ingredients together in a big mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer (or using another big mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer or the good 'ole fashioned way without any horse power but your own), whisk eggs till fluffy. Change attachment from beater to mixer and add in the rest of the wet ingredients, stirring at medium speed.
- Slowly add in the bowl of mixed dry indredients to the wet, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally to ensure everything's all incorporated.
- ***If adding in fresh or frozen fruit, fold in now
- ***OR - If making a crumble to top, mix that up now and set aside.
- Pour into lined loaf pans or muffin trays. (If adding crumble, layer that on top of loaves or sprinkle on muffin tops. I like to use a toothpick to push and stir some of the crumble down into the batter so it doesn't all fall off after when slicing/eating.)
- Bake loaves at 350 F for 45-50 minutes depending on the heat of your oven
- Bake muffins at 350 F for 25-30 minutes depending on the heat of your oven
- Let cool for at least 2 hours, best overnight
- Enjoy!
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