Spiced Pecan Banana Bread

gluten free, no added sugar, dairy free, nut free option \

Well, there's certainly no mistaking this is banana bread! With 5 bananas, you can't go wrong - good thing they are one of the cheapest fruits around, eh?

This is a less sweet and heavy style of banana bread, but it's still rich and there's certainly no mistaking it's banana bread! I really wanted to avoid adding extra sugar. Buckwheat flour has excellent mineral and protein content and tapioca gives the bread a light spring 🙂 It's still super delicious though, because it has big banana pieces mixed through and on top of the loaf. I've also provided a nut-free option - perfect for school lunchboxes.

Feel free to customise the bread with spices, different nuts, extra fruit (eg. sliced pear, blackberries, dried fruit).

Spiced Pecan Banana Bread

A delicious, spicy take on a modern classic - banana bread. Gluten free, no added sugar, dairy free, nut-free option.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 1 large loaf

Author: Allison Jones

Ingredients

• 3 large and 2 medium over-ripe bananas divided
• Wet Ingredients
• 4 large or extra large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or macadamia oil melted butter or ghee can also be used if dairy is tolerated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla essence
• Dry Ingredients
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup pecans chopped roughly, or broken by hand

Optional extrasGlaze:

• 1 tablespoon honey warmed

Extra spices:

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 175C (350F)
• For the batter, take 2 large and 1 1/2 medium bananas, peel and then either mash well or place in food processor/blender. Add the remaining wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.
• In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients (except the pecans) and then mix in well with the banana-egg mixture. If using a food processor, add the dry ingredients on top of the banana-egg mixture and blend for a few minutes. Scrape down the inside of the bowl and blend again for 30 seconds. Then, pour the mixture out in to a mixing bowl.
• Chop the remaining half banana in to 5mm-wide semi circles and set aside. Note, there is still a large banana remaining to be used in Step 7.
• Break up the pecans and then gently mix in well to the batter along with the chopped banana pieces.
• Line the tin with parchment paper, then pour the batter in to the prepared bread loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Take the remaining large banana, peel and carefully cut down the centre, lengthways, so you have two long halves. It may break while cutting, don't worry too much if it does.
• Gently place the banana halves on top of the batter in the pan, pressing down gently so they are submerged by around 1/3rd. Alternatively, slice the bananas in to 5mm thick coins and arrange the coins on top of the loaf, gently pushing the coins down in to the batter.
• Place the loaf in the oven. Turn after 30 minutes and cover with foil to prevent burning.
• Check at the 55 minute mark with a skewer, the skewer will come out clean when the bread is done. This may take up to 60 minutes, depending on your oven.
• Remove from the oven when ready, and then carefully move to a cooling rack.
• If you want to glaze the loaf, heat the honey so that it is quite runny. Use a pastry brush to brush honey on top of the bread. This creates a beautiful glaze.
• Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting carefully with a bread knife.
• Serve with your favourite topping or spread and a hot drink. The bread is lovely when toasted.
• Store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. May also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

• Equipment: food processor or blender (optional), two med-large mixing bowls (if food processor/blender not used) large bread tin*, parchment/baking paper, knife, measuring cups and spoons, spatula, cutting board, pastry brush (optional)*Bread tin size that I used: 14cm (W) x 24cm (L) x 7cm (H)
• Nut free option: omit or replace with sunflower seeds or pepitas for nut-free option

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