Buckwheat Banana Bread

Name: Buckwheat Banana Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 115 min
Ingredients: 240 grams buckwheat flour (about 1 1/2 cups); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ cup butter (melted); 67 grams granulated sugar (about 1/3 cup); 68 grams brown sugar (about 1/3 cup); 2 eggs; 340 grams bananas (about 3, mashed); 123 grams coconut cream; 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

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The naturally sweet taste of bananas, the heartiness of buckwheat… this can only mean one thing… buckwheat banana bread! And if you like banana bread, you’ll LOVE this version!

overhead up close shot of slice of bread

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It’s a good thing this quick bread is easy to make because this recipe might become a fan favorite. From the texture to the beautiful rich color, it doesn’t take much to see why this tasty bread should be in your recipe box. It’s made with just two bowls – one for the dry ingredients and one for the liquid – then with a quick mix of each and some rest time, after a nice, long aroma-filled bake time, you’ll have this gorgeous loaf of simple banana bread.

Why this recipe is the best!

One phrase – one kind of flour. If you’re used to baking gluten free, then you know how two, sometimes three or more flours are the norm for GF recipes. And it’s often necessary for a good loaf of bread, like this tasty white bread. But a recipe with just one flour?… yes please!

Besides the single flour, this recipe makes a rich, moist, high rising classic banana bread that’s a breeze to mix together and stays fresh for days.

Pro tip

If you want a high rising loaf, then don’t skimp on the rest time. After combining the flour with the liquid ingredients and mixing well, the batter needs this rest time to fully hydrate. Believe me, it will create a gorgeous round top on this loaf!

How to make buckwheat banana bread

Weigh the ingredients

overhead shot of ingredients on a counter

Since baking is such a science, accuracy in ingredients matters. A lot. That’s why it’s super important to use a simple kitchen scale, like this one, to weigh the ingredients. In this recipe I’ve even weighed the bananas so you know how much 3 bananas actually amounts to.

Besides weight, room temperature ingredients is also a must. From the flour to the bananas to the eggs, everything needs to be a comfortable 70-75 degrees F. (A microwave can help quickly bring butter and bananas to room temp. Soak whole eggs, in the shell, in a glass of warm water to quickly bring them to room temperature.)

Mixing

Grab two bowls - a large bowl for the liquid ingredients and a medium one for the dry ingredients. Add the flour and dry ingredients to the medium bowl and mix. Then mix the butter, sugars, eggs, bananas, coconut cream and vanilla extract together in the large bowl until fully combined. Then just add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and combine.

Rest time

After the batter has been completely mixed, set it aside and let it ‘rest’ for 30 minutes. This will achieve that beautiful tall loaf – skipping the rest time will result in a flatter and denser bread, so make sure to give it the full time.

Baking

The only downside to this recipe is the baking time. But that goes for any quick bread – from this cranberry bread to this pumpkin bread. They always take a while to bake. This loaf takes between 60 – 65 minutes to bake. Test it with a cake tester to be sure (no batter should be left on it).

Cooling

After baking, cool the bread, in the pan, on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. That should be enough time to cool it to a manageable temperature. Then use a knife and loosen the edges to turn it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Note: You may have to loosen the edges quite a bit, but it will turn out beautifully.

FAQ's

Is buckwheat flour good for baking?

Buckwheat flour is excellent for baking! Because of it’s even balance of fiber and protein, buckwheat makes wonderful breads. Keep in mind that I would not advise substituting it for something like white rice flour, where the fiber and protein are so drastically different. But for sorghum flour… absolutely! I recommend this brand of buckwheat flour!

Is buckwheat flour gluten free?

Buckwheat flour is indeed gluten free – it actually comes from a seed so no wheat involved at all.

Can I substitute the buckwheat with another flour?

Buckwheat is a great, versatile flour, but you can’t just substitute it with anything. Every flour functions to produce an end result (baked good) with the perfect consistency and texture – rice flours produce a different consistency that something like teff flour. That’s why it’s important to substitute the right kind of flour. According to this guide to GF flours, millet or teff flours would be the best substitute.

What can I substitute the coconut cream with?

Coconut cream gives the bread an added boost of moisture that helps keep this bread soft and tasty, even after 3 days! And there is no coconut flavor whatsoever. But if you’re looking for a substitute for it – try heavy cream for a dairy substitute or full fat, unsweetened almond milk.

Can I add chocolate chips to this recipe?

Absolutely! Bring on the chocolate! 1 cup of chips is a delicious touch.

How long does this buckwheat banana bread last?

I mentioned about the coconut cream keeping it moist and flavorful – it really does it’s job when you’ve been eating this bread for 3 days and the day 3 slice tastes as good as the day 1 slice! Wrap the loaf well in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Any longer than that and you’ll need to freeze it for longer storage.

Check out these other delicious gluten free breads