banana bread

There is nothing more comforting than the smell and taste of banana bread straight from the oven! This recipe is one I have adapted over the years to make it that little bit more healthier. I’ve also tricked around with different oat brands and I can confirm that the BEST are from organic and gluten free oats from The Merry Mill. The quality is incomparable and this is testament to The Scully Family, who grow and pack the oats on their farm in Co. Laois, which guarantees a top quality flavoursome product!

Its important that the bananas in this recipe are spotty as they will be at their sweetest, easier to digest, richer in B vitamins and contain more tryptophan which will boost serotonin and improve mood. So horrrayyy, banana bread is good mood food!!!!

I love to have this bread toasted and smothered in nut butter with a few raspberries squished on top. It is the perfect eaten as a small breakfast, elevenses snack with a cuppa or a pre workout energy boost.

I usually cut this bread into slices once fully cooled and store in the freezer.

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ingredients

Makes 1 large loaf

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 + 1/2 cup oats

• 1/2 cup ground almonds

• 1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder (Doves GF is my fave)

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Doves GF is my fave)

• 1 tsp cinnamon (ceylon is best!)

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 large tbsp coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup walnuts/pecans (optional)

WET INGREDIENTS

• 4 large spotty bananas

• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax @ linwoods mixed with 2.5tbsp water)

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 heaped tbsp nut butter of choice or tahini

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of almond/coconut/oat mylk
  
  

method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Prepare your flax egg by mixing the flax and water together and letting stand for 15mins.

3. Grind your oats into a fine flour. I do this in a nutribullet and it takes less than 5 seconds as the oats are already quite fine.

4. Add flour to a large bowl, followed by the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, coconut sugar and salt. Give it a good mix and set aside.

5. Mash 3 of your spotty bananas in a bowl and add the nut butter, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and flax egg. Give it a really good mix until all the wet ingredients are combined.

6. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, followed by the milk. At this point you could add half a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for the crunch and boost of protein. Depending on if you added nuts or not will determine the amount of mylk to use. You want the mixture to hold its texture and drop from the spoon (not be too liquidy).

7. Add to a lined baking tin and cut the remaining banana in half and gently push it into the bread mix. If you want the banana to have a caramel flavour, sprinkle with some coconut sugar.

8. Bake in the oven for 35-40minutes. Turn the bread tin 360 after 20 minutes to make sure it is evenly cooked.

9. Let rest in the tin for 10minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting, if you can resist!!!!

I hope you love these as much as I do! Enjoy and let me know if you have any comments or questions!

clodagh x