Cassava Flour Banana Bread

CASSAVA FLOUR BANANA BREAD (GF/DF)

with brown sugar crumble

 
Gluten free bread
 

I have tried to make different versions of a GF/DF banana bread and it comes out so dry. I recently saw cassava flour in my local health food store, and immediately thought of the cassava cake my mother would make, baked in banana leaves. It always came out perfectly moist and decadent. Cassava flour is made from the entire yuca root, ground into a powder. It comes from the same family of yams, taro, and potatoes.Growing up I remember my making favorite Filipino desserts from purple yams, taro root, and sweet potatoes. I have fond memories of her stirring a pot of bubbling purple yams in coconut cream over the stove with a huge wooden spoon. She was making my favorite dessert native to the filipnes called Ube Halaya, perfectly sweet and sticky. Since Yuca root is the same fam and as yams, I thought I would try banana bread with cassava flour instead of nut flours or other gluten-free flour that tend to come out dry. It was a winner! Thanks again Ma!

NOTE: I usually make banana bread when I accidentally let my bananas get too ripe. The sight of black bananas on your counter might trigger you to throw them away, but don’t because they make the most delicious banana bread. If you are craving banana bread, and don’t happen to have ripe bananas, don’t panic, I have a hack for you. Hack: Place the bananas, unpeeled, onto a baking sheet in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until the bananas have completely blackened. You can also peel them and put them into the microwave for about 30 seconds at a time until they are just sizzling.

Ingredients:

½ cup coconut oil

¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk, or milk of choice

¼  cup vanilla or banana flavored coconut milk based yogurt

4 over-ripened bananas, mashed

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups cassava flour

1 cup of light brown sugar plus  2 tablespoons, divided for the top

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 350F and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, sugar, milk, yogurt, vanilla, and the egg

  3. In a another bowl the cassava flour, salt, and cinnamon with a fork just so everything is fully incorporated. Don’t over mix

  4. This step is very important so you don’t end up with a banana brick. Gently fold the wet banana mixture into the dry. Slowly fold the banana mixture into the flour until it is combined. Don’t over mix it.

  5. Pour the batter into your loaf pan and sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of brown sugar over the top

  6. Place it in the oven with a foil tented over so that the sugar doesn’t burn for about 1 hr.

  7. Let it cool/rest for at least 45min up to 1hr on a cooling rack before slicing.

Get crazy and spread some almond butter over a slice and sprinkle with dark chocolate chips, yum!


Snacksnazareth sanders