I fell in love with banana bread when I first made it in Domestic Science classes at school. After I developed this sugar free recipe, I took some slices into work and shared it with my colleagues asking for an honest opinion. I was so pleased that they all really liked it.
Quite often we get left with some very ripe bananas in the fruit bowl.
However, if you are following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, the only way you should eat bananas is when they are fully ripe and well speckled with brown/black spots because at this stage the carbohydrate which is present in the unripened banana has been converted to monosaccharide sugars which are easily absorbed by sufferers of IBD.
Ripe bananas are ideal for using in banana bread. The recipe below uses dates instead of sugar or honey and contains no added fat.
Banana Bread GF SCD
275g very ripe bananas (about 2 small/medium in their skins)
250g almond flour
65g chopped walnuts
3 large eggs (extra large eggs in the US)
80ml date paste
1 tsp organic cider vinegar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of sea salt
Make a thick date paste according to my instructions. Set the oven to 170° C (fan/convection oven) and line a 2 pound loaf tin (7½" x 3½" x 2½" (19cm x 9cm x 6.5cm)) with a liner or parchment paper.
Chop the walnuts in the food processor bowl and tip into a bowl.
Break the eggs into the bowl and add the bananas, date paste and a pinch of salt.
Blend well.
Measure the almond flour and bicarbonate of soda into another bowl and add slowly to the wet mixture.
Reserving a tablespoon of walnuts for the top, tip the chopped walnuts into the bowl and pulse a couple of times. Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle the reserved walnuts on top. If you wish, you can add all the walnuts into the wet mixture.
Cook in the bottom half of the oven of the oven for about 60 to 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the bread comes out clean and the bread is firm to touch and springs back when gently pressed in the centre. Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes in the tin then carefully remove from the tin and remove the baking parchment. This bread tends to sink a little in the middle, don't worry about that.
It slices quite easily when cool.
Store, wrapped in baking parchment, in the fridge.