I’ve been on a bit of a buckwheat kick lately. I’ve always loved buckwheat pancakes (who doesn’t?), but this past year I’ve really broadened my buckwheat horizons. Buckwheat porridge, buckwheat granola, buckwheat grain salads, buckwheat cake — I can’t get enough. I love buckwheat’s earthy and slightly bitter (in a good way) flavor. Buckwheat is actually not a grain; rather it is a gluten-free seed from a plant related to rhubarb. I love that little fun-fact, because rhubarb and now buckwheat are two of my favorite things. And they’re family! Flavor and ancestry aside, buckwheat is also a nutritional powerhouse. It is high in protein and fiber, rich in antioxidants and a good source of many vitamins and minerals, including zinc, copper and manganese.
A few weekends ago I was devouring a stack of buckwheat banana blender pancakes (a recipe I promise to share soon), when I had an idea for buckwheat banana bread. I love the slightly bitter flavor of buckwheat paired with the intense sweetness of the banana, and I thought it would work really well in bread form. And work well it does! I adore the unique flavor of this banana bread, and the moist, cake-like texture is perfect. I used almond flour and buckwheat flour to keep this bread gluten-free while balancing buckwheat’s intensity. It is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, making the flavor reminiscent of a particularly rich stack of buckwheat banana pancakes. Yum.
Buckwheat Maple Banana Bread — Gluten-free + Dairy-free
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork (plus 1 whole banana for topping)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Topping: 1 whole banana, sliced horizontally; 1 tbsp raw turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment and rub sides with coconut oil.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and vinegar. Stir in mashed bananas.
- Incorporate dry ingredients into wet little by little until just combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with banana slices and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown, slightly firm in the center and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Slice and enjoy!
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