Better For You Banana Bread

Finally, it’s recipe time! It seems like it’s been weeks since I’ve posted a real recipe!

But thanks to Baby Bear, I’ve been working hard to maintain a healthy diet while being ravenously hungry…I think the pregnancy cravings last way past childbirth! Ha.

All that being said, I’ve been craving banana bread.

But this recipe is a little different from my go-to recipe. My goal was to create a banana bread loaf with more complex carbs and less (unhealthy) fats, and of course, ensuring that it be gluten free. On the allergen front, this bread is really wonderful — It’s egg-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, gluten-free, and oil and butter-free. If you’re an allergy-concious cook or baker, this is the banana bread for you!

You can bet I’ll keep slicing off thick pieces of this and slathering on the peanut butter (or maybe even some regular butter) until it’s gone! 😀

*Makes 1 quick bread loaf
*Takes 1 hour, 10 minutes, including baking time

Ingredients:

2 overripe bananas
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. gluten free all purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla
*raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar. Stir until all the sugar is well-combined with the bananas. Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix again. Add the applesauce and flour, and stir with a rubber spatula until all there are no lumps of dry ingredients left. Finally, add the almond milk and vanilla and gently stir once or twice to incorporate.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with the raw sugar, if you like. It gives that extra-sweet crunch on the crust. ❤ Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow at least ten minutes to cool before slicing and enjoying.

I really love the way this loaf turned out. It’s crispy and sweet on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside, and has just the right amount of spice to offset the banana flavor.

Yum!

I’m thankful for things like applesauce and gluten free flour that can satisfy my post-partum cravings!

 

How do you alter baked goods you love to make them healthier?

❤

 

 

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