The first from scratch baked item that I ever made was a banana bread loaf. It was inevitable. I LOVE bananas! As a kid, as soon as my mom brought home a bunch of bananas from the market, I would chomp through almost half of the bunch immediately. It was my every time snack!
Over the years, I have tried different versions and tweaks to the basic recipe - different flours, pureeing vs mashing the bananas, caramelizing the fruit, nuts and no nuts, loaf vs this cake, or, even muffins. The one thing I found was, while each of the variation did indeed make a small difference in the flavor and perhaps even texture, the end product was universally delightful and tasty. The thing is you simply can never go wrong with a banana loaf. It is the true magic of the bananas and its giving nature! ;-)
Today, I bring you yet another delightfully moist variation made with gluten free flours and further nuttiness of brown butter. I always keep whole oats and almonds in my pantry, for granola, almond milk or just to munch on nuts. I find the most reliable and easy gluten-free mix for baking is a 50-50 combination of oat and almond flours. I simply grind a cup of each and store them in a tightly sealed jar. Because fresh ground almonds will release oils, albeit slowly, I recommend using a fresh flour mix within a week or storing in the refrigerator for longer shelf life, up to three weeks.
So, without further ado, make your Easter morning simple and easy with this quick loaf. Or, any day for that matter!
A few more banana bakes for you!
BANANA LOAF
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1 T potato starch
2 small eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 oz butter
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup + 1 tsp Greek style yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
For the frosting:
1/4 cup Greek style yogurt
1-1/2 tsp sugar
enough water to thin
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a small sauce pan, or butter melter, melt the butter until the milk solids separate and the nutty nose of brown butter is reached. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Whip eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (~5 mins). Whisk together the cooled butter, mashed banana and yogurt to a smooth mix. Fold into egg mixture.
Add the dry ingredients and quickly fold it in to just incorporate. Pour batter into a loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes until the cake is springy to touch and crusty on top.
Let cool completely on rack before frosting. While the cake cools, whip together the yogurt, water and sugar. Pour on top of cake and sprinkle with toasted nuts or praline.