SKINNY BANANA BREAD
This banana bread is similar to a fruit brack, as it’s light and sweet, and fairly simple to make. For best results, bake it in a shallow pie dish or brownie tray so that it cooks through fully, rather than a loaf tin. It’s a lovely healthy snack that goes great with a cup of tea or coffee.
MAKES 12–16 SQUARES
✣ 3 large greenish bananas (preferably not ripe, as you want them to be low-FODMAP – see box)
✣ 90ml (3¼ fl oz) rice milk or almond milk
✣ 160ml (5½fl oz) maple syrup
✣ 2tbsp molasses
✣ 240g (8½oz) buckwheat flour or gluten-free flour
✣ ½tbsp baking powder
✣ ¾tsp bicarbonate of soda
✣ 1tsp ground cinnamon
✣ ¼tsp grated nutmeg
✣ ½tsp salt
✣ 50g (1¾oz) raisins, soaked for 5 minutes in water (optional, for a juicier bite)
✣ 20g (¾oz) pumpkin seeds
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3
2 Mash the bananas really well. Put them into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (apart from the raisins and pumpkin seeds), and blend until everything is well mixed (if you don’t have a food processor, mix the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients separately and then combine them). Drain the raisins, then put them into a large bowl with the banana mixture and mix well.
3 Line a flat pie dish or brownie-type tray (28 x 18 x 4cm/11 x 7 x 1½in) with baking parchment. Pour in the mixture and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and bake in the preheated oven for 50 mins, until a knife inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
4 Remove from the oven and carefully take the banana bread out of the tin.
5 Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.