Paleo Banana Bread
Meet Teddy!
My cuddly little ball of fur that I welcomed into my home on April 18th! This little nugget was born on February 23rd 2015, and at 9 weeks old he is already 12lbs! He is going to be a monster π It has been quite an adjustment the past few days. Teddy has been giving us a run for our money, but that is ok! I am loving every second. Mornings look like this now…
He is constantly underfoot. ESPECIALLY when I am in the kitchen. Which, let’s be honest…is all the time. If I’m not sleeping, at the gym, or eating…I am in the kitchen making something haha So sad, but so true.
Which brings me to the delicious bread that I made… I always have been a very big fan of bananas. Especially with peanut butter! But, in bread form…probably my favorite kind of bread.
My Mom always makes this amazing banana bread, sometimes zucchini, and while I can’t ever compete with her amazing recipe…I think that this one was pretty darn good. I am all about the crust on the outside and the soft, moist inside when it comes to banana bread.
I mean…. is there any other way to have it? Definitely not. And if you say there is, we can’t be friends anymore.
OK, maybe I’ll forgive you for disagreeing with me… Nope, can’t do it. This bread had a PERFECT crust on the outside and amazing soft center.
Side bar: Seriously…that face <3
Dead. End Side Bar.
I was a little skeptical of the recipe to be honest. This does call for coconut flour and most of time when I use it in breads, it is dry and gross. This?! Not at all.
I also learned some pretty important things about coconut flour after I successfully made this bread and did a little research.
Fun facts about Coconut Flour:
Coconut flour is dried coconut meat. Sounds gross, right? The coconut meat gets dried and then ground and you are left with flour. Kind of like almond flour.
It is used in A LOT of gluten free baking. However, have you ever tried to substitute Coconut flour for another flour and ended up with a mess?!
:: looks around the room :: I have!
The reason for that is coconut flour is ULTRA-absorbent. Think sponge. So, in general when you are adapting a recipe.. (I highly suggest you make the recipe once the way it is called for AND THEN try to substitute so you know how the ingredients will react) .. 1 cup white flour = 1/4 cup coconut flour Intense right!? How on earth could 1/4 cup be substituted for a WHOLE cup. Trust me. Really.
Coconut flour is also super high in fiber. One thing to note is that if you do decide to bake with coconut flour…you need to increase the liquids. This recipe has 4 eggs. Yes. 4. Eggs do a great job of giving this bread some structure when it cooks because there is an absence of gluten.
So I wouldn’t recommend cutting down on any of the liquid in coconut flour recipes. It is needed.
For more info, check our All Day I Dream About Food, she has a great post here, that really helped me out when I was curious.
One other thing to note…does it taste like coconut? Well… It does and it doesn’t, depending on what you do with it. Coconut flour does tend to have a very coconut type smell, which for me is great! For my hubby? Not so much.
So, if you have a picky eater when it comes to coconut flour try to mask the flavor with other spices and flavorings to try and overpower the coconut flavor.
This recipe only calls for, 1/4 cup of coconut flour…and to make it so Patrick would eat it (and boy did he!), I used the banana, almond butter and cinnamon.All these things tend to have a stronger flavor that you can pick up in a baked good.
So, that worked for me. If you are using it in other ways, try and think of creative ways to overpower the coconut flour… garlic? basil? lemon flavor? The possibilities are endless.
Really though, if you are a newbie at coconut flour…don’t just jump right in. You HAVE to experiment with it, because this ingredient is testy.
Like…real testy.
Either way, this bread was delicious. I am definitely going to make it again. Any time I find something the hubby will eat without complaining, because a regular in our recipe rotation.
Adapted from Recipe:Β https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-banana-bread/
17 Comments
Katalina @ Peas and Peonies
I picked some coconut flour to do some baking and this may be the first recipe a I would try. It sounds amazing!
RavieNomNoms
Let me know how it works out for you!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
omigosh he’s sooo cute!!! and he looks like a Teddy!
And this banana bread is awesome-the fact that it’s paleo makes it ever better!
RavieNomNoms
Isn’t he a doll?! He definitely looks like a Teddy π
Thanks!!!
Renee @ Tortillas and Honey
Teddy is so cute! Congrats on the new fur baby! I’ve heard very good things about coconut flour, but haven’t actually tried it out yet! This banana bread look absolutely moist and fabulous!
RavieNomNoms
Thank you Renee!
It is definitely a fun ingredient, you just have to experiment with it a bit.
Liz
Teddy is ADORABLE! We are puppy shopping—and get to visit some little fellas on Friday! Your bread looks wonderful—plus I love the boost of protein π
RavieNomNoms
Aw yay!! What kind of puppy!?
Thanks! I always try to sneak in some extra protein when I can!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table
Congrats on the new addition!!!
Love this bread – coconut flour is one of my favorites.
RavieNomNoms
I’ve been watching you make recipes with coconut flour for years! So glad you like this!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
We too are fans of bananas!! Your banana bread looks so moist and delicious. I didn’t realize that pea protein is allowed in Paleo. Wonder if I can use other type of protein instead.
Congratulations on the new family member :-)) I want to kiss that cute pinky paw!!
RavieNomNoms
Where do you see Pea Protein? haha I did use Brown Rice Protein which ISN’T Paleo at all, but the original recipe only calls for Coconut Flour, which would indeed make it completely Paleo. I did make a note of this in the recipe, in case there are some strict Paleo’ers out there π
Brooks
Welcome home, Teddy! I loves me a banana bread, and if I can have a cleaner one, I’m in. Nice recipe, Raven.
RavieNomNoms
Thank you!! π
Viviane Bauquet Farre
What a cute pup! Looks like you’re loving life, Raven. Oh, and by the way… the banana bread looks great π
Cathy
What a cutie!! He has the same markings as my Australian shepherd. Mine used to always lay down in my kitchen while I baked too. That was when he was a baby and had to nap every hour π
Ramona
The bread is fabulous… but I can’t see anything beyond TEDDY!! He is such a cutie pie!! I have always loved Bernese Mountain Dogs! They are such gentle giants and Teddy is soooo adorable! Enjoy puppy-hood… they grow up so fast! I just want to eat him up. π