classic banana bread (paleo)

i am beyond excited that i have FINALLY achieved a complete replica of my mom’s traditional banana bread !! mine uses a different flour and some other substitutes, but even she said that this one tastes exactly like hers!!

we always had banana bread or zucchini bread in the kitchen when we were younger, thx mom for baking weekly 😉

this banana bread is legit the perfect texture. it’s not grainy like baked goods can be with certain GF flours; it’s also not doughy or super dense like other paleo baked goods are when there is less flour involved, i mean it when i say it’s literally perfect.

i considered using organic cane sugar for this bread in order to make it JUST like the recipe of my mom’s… but i decided not to when i came to the realization that the main reason i wanted to do that was for the sake of the color of the inside of the bread. no. chose to stick to my intention of keeping it refined-sugar free, and it truly couldn’t have turned out better. i went with coconut sugar for the sweetener, used a dairy-free butter (myokos!) instead of regular, and used Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour (all purpose flour mixture, 1:1 sub for regular all purpose flour… yesss). the flour mixture (Bob’s Red Mill Paleo) is key in this recipe, so any other flours likely will not substitute accurately for the same ratio. be careful, i’d recommend follow this recipe with this flour! [or if you don’t care so much about it being grain and gluten free, you could use regular AP flour]

C L A S S I C banana bread has been a challenge for me to recreate in a grain-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free form, but i finally did it and it’s perfect in all ways!!


INGREDIENTS >

> 1 cup coconut sugar

> 1/3 cup dairy-free butter (myokos vegan butter), softened

> 2 eggs

> 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium ripe bananas)

> 1/3 cup water

> 1 2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour (1:1 flour sub)

> 1 tsp baking soda

> 1/2 tsp salt

> 1/4 tsp baking powder

HOW TO MAKE >

  • set oven to 350F. line a 9×5 bread pan with parchment paper, & oil the parchment.
  • mash bananas with fork/whisk/mixer until smooth; set aside.
  • cream DF butter + coconut suar together with mixture until combined.
  • add in eggs, mix until smooth.
  • add in the mashed bananas + water at this time, and combine until incorporated.
  • mix paleo flour mixture, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
  • incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture in sections, mix until combined.
  • pour banana bread batter into greased/lined 9×5 bread baking pan.
  • bake on 350F for 50min-1hr or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean!!
  • let cool before cutting, then enjoy!!

* other flours likely will not substitute accurately here, use the one mentioned!



tahini banana nut bread

new banana bread on the loose!! i kind of dressed up my normal banana bread recipe with some additional add-ins… so decided to make a new recipe out of it!

the differences in this banana bread start with less flax & a little more almond flour + when it comes to additions — i threw in chopped walnuts, additional CINNAMON (hello hi fall), & the best one yet, chopped fresh banana pieces. big YES

this is also different from the banana nut muffins on my blog cause i didn’t use any mix this time… all individual ingredients and measurements, all came out to reflect the perfect BANANA NUT flavor i grew up on.

so in banana bread, of course, there is already banana mashed up and mixed into the entire batter, but something in me told me i needed more banana this time, so i used a perfectly ripened, yellow banana, sliced it down the middle and then into chunks, and tossed them into the batter with the walnuts. i stirred gently, saw the chunks in every turn, and knew it was gonna be perf.

left chocolate chips out of this round cause i really wanted to see how it came out as banana nut bread. it’s perfect, let me just say. chocolate chips will only make it 100x better, so go for it if you want!

here’s the full recipe — TAHINI BANANA NUT BREAD.


INGREDIENTS >>

-2-3 mashed, ripened/overripe banana

-1/3 cup tahini

-1/3 cup maple syrup

-1/3 cup almond milk

-2 tbsp coconut sugar

-2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 egg

-2 cups almond flour

-1/4 cup ground flaxseed

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tbsp cinnamon

-handful of walnuts, chopped

-1 banana, sliced + chopped, in chunks [not mashed]

HOW TO MAKE >>

  • set oven to 350F.
  • mix all wet ingredients together — mashed banana, tahini, egg, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract — until incorporated.
  • add coconut sugar, mix well.
  • add ground flaxseed, almond flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
  • continue to mix until combined.
  • using a spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold in walnuts + chopped banana to batter.
  • pour into lined + greased loaf pan.
  • bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes.
  • store in refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for months!