These kinds of recipes are the way I love to cook – and the way I’ve come to appreciate cooking even more on our #vanlife adventure – creating delicious wholesome food using what’s in season and what’s in the fridge/pantry. Not only is it a more nutritious and more sustainable way to cook, but as we traveled this vast country of ours, sometimes the nearest shops have been 300km away!!
So this is my Buckwheat Banana Bread that I’ve been interpreting a couple of different ways – adding chocolate when I feel like, well chocolate, and making use of the beautiful pineapples in season as we travel through Queensland. I can also confirm that some frozen raspberries mixed through works well too.
Buckwheat is my preferred gluten free flour for all my sweet and savoury baking. It contains high levels of zinc, copper, manganese, potassium and lysine, is high in protein and has a lower GI than rice, corn or wheat flours. If you’re new to buckwheat, the flavour is rather earthy and nutty, so you may wish to use 50/50 buckwheat and brown rice flour to tame it’s flavour initially.
Buckwheat Banana Bread
Makes: 1 loaf – Prep time: 10-mins – Cook time: 1-hour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large or 3 small over-ripe bananas, mashed *preferably organic
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 organic or free-range eggs
1 extra banana sliced length-ways for decorating the top, optional
Pinch of sea salt
+ Pineapple & Coconut
100g fresh pineapple, diced
1/2 cup shredded coconut *preservative free
Extra pineapple slices for decorating the top, optional
+ Dark Chocolate
100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
Extra dark chocolate for decorating the top, optional
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 180’C.
2. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. To a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir together, then set aside.
3. To a medium bowl, add mashed bananas, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk together until smooth. + Pineapple & Coconut: Add pineapple & coconut and mix until just combined. + Dark Chocolate: Add dark chocolate and mix until just combined.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients. Using a spatula stir all the ingredients together.
5. Pour mixture in to loaf tin and decorate the top if you wish.
6. Place in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. Until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool before removing from the tin – resist slicing it until it’s come to room temperature, otherwise it will crumble.
8. Enjoy with a good slather of salted butter.
