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This Paleo Banana Bread is absolutely delicious! It’s beautiful on the outside, moist and sweet on the inside, and tastes like a cloud. It’s also dead-simple to make. It is the best introduction into the world of Paleo baking I can think of.
Let me go on the record by stating that I do not like baking. I don’t play well with precise measurements. I was also born without a sweet tooth. I think they refer to it in the medical world as “Savoury-Palate Syndrome,” in which the patient experiences undying cravings of all things savoury and no things sweet. I’m the kind of guy who would rather have another serving of gloriously steamed vegetables before going in for dessert. But it’s December and the holiday season is among us. A time of frivolous calorie consumption and unnecessary spending!
If you happen to find yourself in need of making dessert for yourself or loved ones, might I recommend abstaining from store-bought, preservative-laced, sugar-packed desserts such as the ones you may be used to. Instead, bake yourself some delicious Paleo Banana Bread. In fact, I hesitate to call it “Bread” because it lacks the unhealthy refined starches and grains in other breads. It’s more of a Banana Loaf. Especially considering the texture of this baked-good. It isn’t dense or firm. It’s moist, airy and delicate. It reminds me of firm custard. In any case, it’s delicious and that’s all that really matters, isn’t it? That and the fact that it looks like bread so everyone who eats it won’t question its healthy properties.
Since I am not a baker, I had to seek out a recipe with which to work. I came across a recipe by Juli Bauer over at PaleOmg, that seemed easy, delicious and promising. The basic recipe for her Coffee Cake Banana Bread is repeated here with a few minor adjustments.
1) I added ¼ cup almond flour to the batter since I found it to be too wet with just ¼ cup of coconut flour. Plus, my family doesn’t like coconut flour all that much so I had to hide its strong flavour a bit.
2) I had an abundance of bananas (they were on sale) so I used 4 bananas, instead of the 3 that Juli’s recipe calls for. And I had a shortage of eggs, so I used 2 eggs instead of the 3 called for in Juli’s recipe. I found that you don’t need as many eggs in the bread since it will overpower the texture and leave you with more of a custard than a bread. I made it both ways, hence my lack of eggs the second time around, and preferred it with 2 eggs.
3) Juli’s recipe calls for a topping of grass-fed butter, coconut sugar, almond flour, cinnamon and pecans. Though it sounds delightful, I tend to use butter sparingly, even if it is grass-fed. I quite regularly add it to my Bulletproof Coffee so I try to avoid it as best I can in other recipes. Experience has shown me that my intake of dairy signals an instant flare in mucous production and a drop in my immune system. I am not lactose intolerant but my body does not react well to dairy. Everyone’s different so go according to your own experience. If you are just starting your Paleo journey, however, I recommend avoiding butter and substituting Ghee in recipes, since it is butter without the dairy solids. So instead of Juli’s topping, I simply added some whole bananas that I sliced in half overtop of the bread. Not only will it impress the hell out of everyone who lays eyes on it, it doesn’t over-sweeten the Banana Bread, which is already sweet enough from the maple syrup.
4) Juli’s recipe suggests a baking time of 50 min. Of course all ovens vary and effect cooking times. My Banana Bread took 1:10 to bake at 350F. I suggest setting the timer to 50 minutes and testing it with a thin wooden skewer or cake tester to see if it comes out clean after being inserted into the thickest part of the loaf. If it doesn’t come out clean, keep baking and retest every 6-7 minutes until it does.
Word of Caution:
Please do not expect this paleo banana bread to have the same texture or density as traditional banana bread made from regular flour. Instead, you’re aiming for a soft loaf that borders on a very firm custard. It sounds strange but you’re essentially making a baked banana omelet since the coconut and almond flour doesn’t have enough starch to hold things together beyond that. However, the bread will stand, even rise a bit, and will undoubtedly look like ‘bread’.
Give this recipe a go and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Cheers,
Ronny
Paleo Banana Bread - Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 4 ripe bananas, plus one extra for topping
- 2 whole eggs
- ½ cup organic almond butter
- ¼ cup organic maple syrup
- 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil and line it with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the 4 mashed bananas, eggs, almond butter and maple syrup. Stir until smooth and combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. Stir until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir through until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until you can insert a cake tester or toothpick into the centre of the loaf and it comes out clean.
- Transfer the banana bread to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.
About the Author
Hi, i'm Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
Just as delicious as it looks. I was so pleased with the ease of making this and the texture despite no wheat flour. It will be on repeat.
So very happy to hear! Thank you for letting myself and others know!