Breakfast in the Summer
There’s just something about breakfast in the summer…
Growing up, I remember my sister and I were up early for sports camps. Fortunately, my parents understood the importance of nutrition — we always played better after we had a healthy breakfast. One of our all-time favorite breakfasts as children was freshly baked bread. While this was a delicious treat, it’s obviously not always that good for young, growing bodies.
My father had previously worked in restaurants back in Denmark and, when he moved to the United States, he worked part-time at a local bakery to make extra money. Of course, many his baking skills made their way into our breakfast routine. I loved it, but it wasn’t working for my sister.
The biggest issue was that she had trouble digesting gluten. After lots of experimentation, my mom, using my father’s old recipes, created her “Buckwheat Banana Bread.” We have tried several variations on this recipe, and we typically increase the ratio of buckwheat to whole wheat flour, but the recipe below is the perfect starting point!
Buckwheat was better for my sister, which, despite its name, is not wheat! Fun fact: Buckwheat is a seed related to rhubarb and is naturally gluten-free! Another great thing about mom’s recipe is the amount of bananas. By including 3-4 mashed bananas, it’s possible to avoid extra oil or butter. We’ve found that it’s typically possible to substitute a ½ cup of mashed banana for an equal amount of butter — so make that snack healthy!
Give this variation on traditional banana bread a try and let us know what you think!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup buckwheat flour
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup unbleached white flour
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ cup agave nectar
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 3-4 ripe bananas
Preparing Mom’s Buckwheat Banana Bread
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Set aside bananas, sunflower oil, and agave nectar.
3. Combined all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, combine ripe bananas, sunflower oil, and agave nectar, using the back of a fork to mash and incorporate.
5. Create a well in the dry ingredients and then the add mashed banana mix.
6. Thoroughly mix all ingredients until there is a smooth batter consistency.
7. Pour batter into loaf plane and arrange in the middle of the preheated oven.
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. For more incredible easy recipes, download CoachUp’s Cookbook and start eating!
