Buckwheat Banana Bread {whole wheat, no added sugar}

There's this renowned pancake place in Nashville called Pancake Pantry, and I will always remember the beloved Buckwheat Pancakes I used to get there.  That was the first time I'd ever even heard of buckwheat, much less tasted it, but once I did I fell in love.  It has this sort of earthy, bold flavor that I really don't know quite how to describe, and is quite nutritious for you.  It's higher in protein and fiber than regular wheat and it's a good source of several important minerals, like manganese, magnesium, iron, copper.  Magnesium in particular is important in combating against anxiety, migraines, high blood pressure, heart disease - several things I know many of us struggle with in our world today.  Buckwheat also contains high levels of flavonoids, namely rutin, which also play a big role in reducing cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Check out this page if you want to get a more in-depth look at the benefits of buckwheat.  While buckwheat is technically a fruit seed it is typically used like a grain; you can buy the groats to make a hot cereal (similar to oatmeal) or use the flour in baked goods.  I usually buy the flour from Whole Foods but I know you can find it in the health foods section of Kroger and online from Amazon.  Bob's Red Mill is a good brand to start with if you are trying to track it down.

If you've never had it I really think you must try it!  I'd been craving it recently and decided to try it in a banana bread, and we really liked it!  This bread reminds me just a bit of those favorite pancakes I used to get,  and is so good lightly toasted and spread with a little butter or peanut butter. 

Buckwheat Banana Bread (whole wheat, no added sugar)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

5 large, ripe bananas

1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

DIRECTIONS

Combine all dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl.  In a second bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and then add the vanilla extract, melted coconut oil, and milk.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until well-combined.

Grease a 5 1/2" x 9" loaf pan (or alternatively line with parchment paper like I do, for easier lift out) and pour your batter into the pan.  Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes until it checks as done with a cake tester.  Your oven may vary from mine so just keep an eye on it!  If you used parchment paper to line the loaf pan, don't let your bread sit in the pan too long once you've removed it from the oven (it'll get a little soggy).  

SPECIAL NOTES

I recommend whole wheat pastry flour or a white whole wheat flour for this recipe because they are a little lighter and rise better in baked goods than a regular whole wheat.  But if you can't find it, using any whole wheat flour would probably be fine.