Teff Flour Banana Bread

For me, bananas are one of the most conflicting foods.  I have no idea whether I like them or not.  I like them in some things like these killer banana pancakes, but other foods with bananas like smoothies make me want to gag.  Don’t even get me started on banana flavored candies, those things are so gross.

Banana bread, however, falls into the first category.  I love banana bread- no I worship banana bread.  Whenever I make it I almost always end up eating the entire loaf in one sitting.  Now you may be thinking that that’s okay because banana bread has a reputation for being pretty ‘healthy’.  This is false.  It’s often times loaded with tons of sugars and unhealthy oils.  It’s very deceiving.  

This is where my recipe comes into play.  It doesn’t have any sugar and yet it still has that classic sweet taste that all banana bread needs.  It also contains one of my favorite healthier flours- teff.

You’re now probably thinking what the heck is teff flour, so here’s the rundown.  Teff is an Ethiopian grain that is packed with iron and minerals.  It’s supposed to do wonders for runners, which is just a bonus for me on top of it’s fantastic flavor.  You can cook the grain plain, which I do do sometimes, or you can use the flour to bake it into things like this banana bread.  Either way, it’s nutritious and delicious.  If the idea of teff flour freaks you out, you don’t necessarily have to use it for this recipe, but I would give it a try, you might just be surprised.

• Servings: 1
• Time: 1
• Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup teff flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 very ripe bananas (the browner the better)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips, etc. (pecans are my favorite add in!)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a bread pan of your choice.
2. In a medium sized bowl mash the bananas.  Add the maple syrup, oil of your choice, and milk, stirring until combined.
3. Add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and blend.  Sprinkle the two different types of flour on top and fold into the mixture until a batter forms. Throw in whatever add ins you chose and mix together.
4. Fill the prepared bread pan and bake for 55 minutes – 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool for longer.  I absolutely love cutting a slice while it’s still a little warm and spreading a huge glob of cream cheese (I love Kite Hill’s) on top, but that’s just me.  Hope you enjoy!

Note: Recipe is adapted from Cookie and Kate’s Banana Bread