Banana Bread

We’ve adapted this family favourite and created an adaptable recipe to cater for all your family preferences. Made with our Anything But Ordinary Flour , it can be scoffed by the slice or toasted and topped with your favourite spread of choice… but honestly is there anything else but ordinary butter…?

Gluten Free · Sugar Free · Dairy Free · Nut Free · Vegan Option

Makes 10cm x 20cm / 4 x 8 inch loaf (base measurements)

Ingredients

Wet

160g / 1 cup dates

160ml / ⅔ cup apple juice*

½ tspn bicarb soda

360g / 1½ cups mashed banana

120ml / ½ cup milk of
choice

2 tspn lemon juice

100g / ½ cup apple
puree*

2 tspn vanilla extract

2 tblspn grapeseed oil

2 x 60g eggs or flax eggs for Vegan option

To Toast

50g / ½ cup quinoa flakes

40g / 2 tblspns hemp seeds

1 tblspn grapeseed oil

1 tblspn maple syrup

Dry

290g / 2 cups Anything But Ordinary Plain Flour

1½ tspns baking powder

1 tspn bicarb soda

1 tblspn cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan forced.

Prepare a 10cm x 20cm loaf tin by lining it with baking paper to come up the long sides and able to form a tent over the loaf.

In a small saucepan heat the dates and apple juice until all the liquid has been absorbed and dates are all squashed.

Take off heat and immediately tip in the bicarb soda, stirring until it stops fizzing and a paste has formed. This whole process should take less than 5 minutes. Tip into a large bowl and combine with the mashed banana.

Mix lemon juice into milk of choice and set aside.

If making the Vegan option make the flax eggs by mixing the flaxmeal in the water, stir well and set aside.

Mix the quinoa flakes and hemp seeds in a bowl and stir in the combined oil and maple syrup making sure everything is coated.

Spread out on a baking tray and pop in the oven for 7-10 minutes stirring half way to make sure it toasts evenly. Don’t burn! Stir well and set aside.

Sieve the flour, bicarb soda, baking powder and cinnamon and whisk to combine well. Stir in toasted quinoa and hemp seed mix.

Whisk together curdled milk, applesauce, vanilla and oil until frothy and pour into bananas and dates. Combine well.

Whisk eggs until fluffy and fold through the banana mix. Don’t over mix or the air bubbles will all deflate.

Add this to the dry mix and stir lightly to just bring it all together.

Tip into prepared loaf pan and fold paper over just enough to form a tent which stops the top from browning too quickly.

Bake for between 1¼ and 1½ hours, depending on your oven, rotating it at 40 mins. A skewer will come out clean when cooked. Leave in tin for 10 minutes then remove and cool completely on a rack before cutting.

This banana bread seems to improve the next day when all the flavour has had time to come together and be absorbed. It can be eaten as is or toasted with or without butter. It keeps for a week in an airtight container in a cool place. Can be sliced and frozen too.

NOTES : *Apple puree and apple juice

This is an easy way to make an apple puree with loads of natural sweetness. Generally one apple will give 100g of puree so I bake a whole lot at once and freeze them in 50g or 100g portions for use in recipes.

Wash as many apples (sweet rather than tart) you want to use, dry, then cut into quarters, leaving the peel on. No need to core though I remove any bits from the ends that are rough.

Put in a baking tray and cover with foil. Bake at 180degrees Celsius or close to that if baking something else.

Depending on the type of apple they will take from 30 minutes on to become soft. Blend the apples and any juices in a blender or food processor til a smooth puree. It keeps in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week or freeze as above.

As an alternative if no baked puree is on hand,
blend a fresh sweet apple with just the smallest amount of juice to make a puree.

Apple juice is best freshly made though I do juice a whole lot and keep in a bottle in the fridge for use in smoothies and recipes. Any apple juice can be used provided it’s 100% apple and doesn’t contain added sweetener.