Buckwheat Banana Bread

This light and nutty buckwheat banana bread is a delicious addition to your breakfast or brunch table. Serve it toasted until the edges are caramelised, then spread with butter for the ultimate cafe style banana bread!

Adding buckwheat flour to banana bread adds a unique nutty earthy taste which goes so well with the sweet banana. Traditionally used to make galettes, blinis, and noodles, buckwheat flour is a delicious addition to baking recipes.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients notes and substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• FAQ
• My recipe tips
• Make banana bread without buckwheat flour.
• Storage
• Variations
• More baking recipes for you
• Buckwheat Banana Bread
• Tips:

Why we love this recipe

• This soft and fluffy banana bread is an easy recipe for over ripe bananas. In fact the more ripe the banana, the better!
• Using a little buckwheat flour in banana bread like this recipe adds a lovely earthy flavour, but there is not too much to prevent the buckwheat flour becoming over powering.
• Made with a mixture of buckwheat flour and whole meal flour as well as plain white flour, and reducing the amount of sugar, this a healthier banana bread recipe.

Ingredients notes and substitutions

• Bananas – use over ripe bananas that are spotty or brown all over for the best banana bread. They add extra flavour, sweetness, and help achieve that perfect banana bread texture. If you have more ripe bananas, these fluffy banana waffles, comforting banana self-saucing pudding, or this banana jam is another quick and easy recipe to make with them!
• Buckwheat flour – this gluten free and grain free flour contains more protein than regular flour and provides a lovely nutty flavour in this banana bread recipe.
• Whole meal flour – whole wheat flour. More nutritious than refined white flour, it also adds a slightly heavier texture to the banana bread which makes it so delicious when toasted.
• Plain flour – all purpose flour. I use some plain white flour in the recipe to prevent the banana loaf from becoming really dense and heavy.
• Spices – I use a combination of ground cinnamon and mixed spice to add a lovely warming background flavour to the banana bread. If you don’t have British mixed spice (it is readily available in Australia, I’m not so sure about America…) add a little more cinnamon and pinch each of ground ginger and ground nutmeg.
• Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda – these are both leaveners used to make the banana bread light and airy.
• Sugar – I like to use soft brown sugar in my banana bread as it not only adds a caramel flavour, but brown sugar adds moisture too, keeping the banana bread moist and delicious.
• Golden syrup – this liquid refined sugar helps the texture of the banana bread. If you can’t find golden syrup you can use honey, maple syrup or light corn syrup instead.
• Milk – I most often use full fat cows milk, but you can use half fat milk, or almond or soy milk.
• Vanilla – vanilla extract or bean paste.
  

How to make this recipe

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, and leave to cool.
2. Place the buckwheat flour, wholemeal flour and plain flour in to a large mixing bowl with the cinnamon, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and brown sugar.
3. Mix well so everything is thoroughly combined.

4. Add the beaten eggs, vanilla, golden syrup and cooled melted butter to the bowl and mix lightly.
5. Tip in the mashed bananas and milk and fold these in until just combined.
6. Pour the banana bread batter into a lined tin then place in a preheated oven and bake until a skewer inserted in to the centre of the cake comes out clean.

FAQ

My recipe tips

• I use a mixture of flours in this banana bread recipe to get the taste and nuttiness from buckwheat flour, but being strong tasting it is quite an acquired taste and therefore mixing it with wholemeal flour prevents it from being overpowering. The plain white flour keeps the banana bread light in texture. If you love the taste of buckwheat flour, you can try increasing the amount of buckwheat flour and decreasing the amount of plain flour.
• Leave the banana bread in the baking tin for 10 minutes to cool before you try to turn it out to the wire rack. If you do it whilst it’s hot it is fragile and ma crumble or break.
• The best way to toast banana bread to create café style banana bread is to slice it thickly – around 2 cm thick then toast on a sandwich press. It only takes a minute!

Storage

• This banana bread keeps well, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Don’t store in the fridge unless the weather is hot and humid, as the fridge can dry it out. If the weather is hot then the banana bread can go mouldy after 3-4 days, so store in the fridge and toast it, or if you know you aren’t going to eat it all, slice and place the slices well wrapped, in to the freezer.
• Freeze for up to 2 months.

Variations

• Banana bread toppings: Top the loaf with 1 tablespoon of buckinis before place in the oven for an attractive topping. Buckinis are activated buckwheat seeds and are available at many bulk food shops and health food shops.
• Sprinkle over 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes before baking.
• Almond banana bread: if you want to add almond flour to the loaf, use the same amount of buckwheat flour and reduce the plain flour and wholemeal flour to 100g each adding 50g almond flour.
• Add ins – add a handful of your favourite nuts, pecans or walnuts would be especially good. You could add some sultanas, dried apricots or even some chocolate chips.
• Mini Banana bread loaves: This recipe will make 3 small tins (12.5cm x 8cm / 5″ x 3″). Just reduce the baking time to 40 – 45 minutes.

More baking recipes for you

Tips:

To StoreKeeps for up to 5 days in the fridge.
To freezeWrap slices individually and freeze for up to 1 month.