A friend shared this recipe with me. It was one she'd cut out of a magazine. It immediately piqued my interest for a few reasons: the minimal amount of oil and sugar per loaf. And it was also gluten-free.
It's also Avocado and Banana month, and I honored the Avocado with my Spicy Avocado Deviled Eggs earlier this week, and now we get to the other part of the month, the Banana.
I've been making a good banana bread for years, but honestly, I wasn't crazy about how much oil the recipe called for, so when my friend, Lisa, shared this recipe, I sat up and took note. It's still really delicious, and for those of us who seek a little less sugar and oil in our diets, well, all I can say is this, WOOHOO!!!!
My only quibble when I read the recipe was that I didn't have any oat flour on hand. And when I raised that little quibble to my friend, she told me she'd made her own oat flour from some oatmeal she had on hand. I fixed that little issue, though. I took some of the oats I'd purchased, threw them into my blender, and whizzed them into flour. Best part, it costs about .05/oz., versus .34/oz. for the processed oat flour, and I don't know about you, but that is a pretty significant saving. And I do like to save, where possible.
I also used up the frozen bananas I had. I buy bananas a lot, but usually don't eat them quickly enough, and they get overripe. At which point I consign them to the freezer, in their original packaging. When I want to bake banana bread, I usually have enough for a couple of loaves of banana bread.
Hint: I take the bananas out about a half hour or so before I'm ready to bake. I then cut off one end of the frozen banana, squeeze out the innards into a bowl, and set it aside as I gather the rest of the ingredients. I also like to lay a banana slice lengthwise on top of the bread and use the natural division in the banana to separate it into thirds.
I have to admit to not really caring for Banana Bread that much, but if I'm going to eat it, I want some walnuts in it.
And since I made a second batch of bread and was feeling a touch lazy, I decided to use my gluten-free flour in it, instead of the oat flour. It did make a big difference. The oat flour seemed to make the bread very soft, whereas the gluten-free flour made it look more like traditional bread.
I also taste-tested both, and ummm, can I just say, they were both pretty darn tasty. I do think I prefer the one with the walnuts and gluten-free flour, though, but I wouldn't say no to the one made with the oat flour either. I also want to add I've made a lot of recipes using bananas. And while Banana Bread is not really high on my list of faves, I've made Oatmeal Banana Muffins, and I also love making these Banana Coconut Pecan Pancakes from time to time. A friend of ours always ordered the Banana Coconut Pancakes when we'd go out for breakfast. I can't remember if there were pecans on them as well, but I like pecans, so I usually add some. I also live in the south, and I'm not sure, but I think that everyone who lives here has to have a Banana Pudding recipe. I honestly do not know if it's still a requisite for living here, but just in case... I've also made a Banana Bundt Cake a few times. Talk about a sugar rush, this delivers it.
As you can see, I've celebrated Bananas a lot. And now for this edition of Banana Month.
Here's the recipe:

Banana Bread - gluten free
Love banana bread, but don't like all the oil in it? Try this method, it's a low-sugar, gluten-free loaf of deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas + 1 ripe banana, divided lengthwise into thirds, using the extra third for the batter.
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed almond flour
- 1 1/4 cups oat flour - made from quick oats or Gluten-free flour. The texture will be different with each one.
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt - I use extra fine Himalayan Salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8x4 or 1 9x5 pan/s with nonstick spray, then set aside while the batter is made.
- Mash bananas in a bowl until smooth, add the eggs, honey, oil, and vanilla, and mix well.
- Divide a banana into thirds lengthwise, using the banana's natural divisions. Add one-third of a banana to the mashed bananas and set the other two pieces aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until well combined.
- Pour batter into the two pans, evenly, and place the 1/3 piece of banana on top, and press down lightly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, checking after 35 minutes to see if the bread is browning too quickly, and test for doneness by inserting a toothpick; if it comes out clean, the bread is done. If the bread is not done, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top, and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes.
- Cool the bread in the tins on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before removing the bread from the tins. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container.
Estimate only




































