GAPS-friendly Banana Bread with Walnut Crumble

In the fall, I usually make desserts full of aromatic spices that warm me up from the inside. Cinnamon is the absolute king then but I also heavily partake in nutmeg, vanilla, cardamon, star anise, and vanilla. These spices stay with me until the spring comes.

But in this recipe for banana bread, I focused on the texture rather than the spices. The mushy bananas make for a perfect cream-like consistency and the walnut crumble on top takes this recipe from good to excellent.

I made this banana bread last weekend, as a small celebration of ending my GAPS into diet (I’m currently giving it my second go!). I managed to get through the intro stage with no major digestive problems so I figured it would be all right for me to enjoy some GAPS-legal dessert that won’t cause any setbacks. And I enjoyed each bite tremendously! The banana bread was deliciously fragrant thanks to the coconuts and it literally melted in my mouth!

I recommend eating this with a glass of raw milk or coconut milk!

Walnut Crumble

Necessary equipment:

• a large mixing bowl
• a wooden spoon

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of almond flour
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (how to soak and dehydrate nuts, seeds, and beans)
• 2 T. of expeller-pressed coconut oil OR grass-fed butter (how to make butter)
• 2 T. of raw honey
• 1 T. of ground cinnamon
• a pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Combine the almond flour with raw honey, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add in melted coconut oil or butter and use a wooden spoon or your fingers to coat all mixture in the fat you chose thoroughly.

GAPS-friendly Banana Bread

Necessary equipment:

• one baking pan or two smaller pans
• a small saucepan
• a wooden spoon
• a large mixing bowl
• a whisk
• an immersion blender OR a food processor

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas (with spots)
• 1/2 cup of butter OR coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of raw honey
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup of coconut flour
• 2 t. of vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. of almond extract
• 1/2 t. of sea salt
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts (how to soak and dehydrate nuts, seeds, and beans here)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Prepare your pan (or two smaller pans) by buttering them up thoroughly.
3. Heat the butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until it completely melts.
4. Add honey and stir until combined.
5. Remove from heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally.
6. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
7. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the eggs. Whisk to combine.
8. Gradually add the butter and honey mixture while whisking. Do in a thin stream so that the eggs won’t cook from the heat.
9. Add the coconut flour. Use an immersion blender or a food processor to blend the batter together so that there are no clumps left.
10. Add mashed bananas and use the blender again to fully combine.
11. Add the chopped walnuts and gently stir them in with a wooden spoon.
12. Pour the batter into your buttered pan.
13. Cover the batter with walnut crumble forming an even layer.
14. Bake for 50 to 65 minutes. The banana bread will be ready when the middle is set (you can check that with a wooden toothpick) and the crumble is lightly browned.
15. Take out of the oven and let cool before serving.