Breakfast Banana Loaf

I was inspired by some very ripe bananas on my counter to create a new gluten-free, dairy-free banana loaf that would be a great quick nutritious breakfast or a delish snack. Voilà, I present the Breakfast Banana Loaf!

Because it uses gluten-free flour, almond flour (ground almonds), oat flour and oat bran, it’s rather dense and cake-like in its texture and the bananas and natural sugars make it just the right moistness and sweetness (extra sweetness with the chocolate chips so leave them out if you are watching your sugar intake)!

Bananas, besides being a nutritious plant food and a rich source of potassium, they are also an anti-inflammatory food and have been proven to be a very effective in post-exercise recovery. This is not to say you should eat a piece of this loaf after a workout, rather eat a banana on its own with a large glass of water, but to point out the health benefits of eating and incorporating good wholesome food into your diet.

As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your loaf goodness and tag my IG account or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Bake Time: 50 Minutes Total: 60 Minutes Makes: I Loaf

Ingredients:

Dry:

3/4 cup Gluten-Free Flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1to1 Baking Flour – available at most groceries and health food stores)
1/2 cup Almond Flour
1/2 cup Oat Flour (to make oat flour, simply grind oats to a fine consistency in your food processor or blender)
1/4 cup Oat Bran - optional (but very healthy! Alternate use hemp hearts.)
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt (optional)
1/4 -1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – optional (alternate – chopped nuts of your choice or both chips and nuts)

Wet:

3 large Ripe Bananas – fresh or frozen or a combination work well
1 Egg
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
1/3 cup Olive Oil (alternate – avocado or grapeseed oil)
1 teaspoon Vanilla

How It’s Made:

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Prepare your loaf pan by lining it with foil or parchment paper, greasing it lightly with some oil and sprinkling some flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs on the oiled foil or parchment to prevent sticking.
Combine the dry ingredients - except the chocolate chips or nuts - in a large mixing bowl and whisk, or stir with a spoon, until combined.
In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and then add the rest of the wet ingredients, combining well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk, or stir, just until combined. Don’t over mix.
Gently add in the chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts if using.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread out the top to make it even.
Bake for 50 minutes and check your loaf for doneness. A sharp knife (or a skewer) poked into the loaf should come out clean. It’s ok to have a few crumbs but not wet batter. If it’s not done yet (as all ovens are different), bake in 5 minutes increments checking after each 5 minutes until it’s done.

Enjoy!