Banana bread

I know what you're thinking. Banana bread? Didn't I write a whole post about how I can't have bananas?

Well, here's the thing about food intolerances: they keep changing. My latest tests put bananas in the all-clear (yippee) but you'll never guess what took their place. Wheat, milk and egg whites. That's right. At the moment, I'm running what is essentially a baking blog and I can't touch any wheat, milk or egg products for the next three to four months. My intolerance should hopefully disappear by then but I couldn't help laughing when I saw the results. What amazing timing!

At any rate, all is not lost. I'm taking this as a challenge. I first started baking when I was ten or eleven because I was severely allergic to eggs but loved the wonderful eggless cakes my mum made for my birthdays. Flicking through beautiful cookbooks, I remember feeling almost stupidly sad every time my eyes fell upon eggs in the ingredients list. So when I stopped being allergic, one beautiful day after eighteen long years, it was amazing. I baked almost constantly at university for birthdays and seminars and just because. But it's a very different world now than the one I remember as a child. The rise of food sensitivities has thankfully coincided with the rise of the Internet, and there are just so many resources now, so many alternatives, that no child needs to feel left out. I'm not saying I'm going to turn this into a vegan blog but I am going to give options wherever possible for all dietary restrictions. Baking is a science...so let's experiment.

As I mentioned in my avocado bread post, I love Sophie Dahl's recipe for banana bread. It's my absolute favourite recipe for an everyday banana bread and I refuse to give it up just because of a few pesky test results. The great thing about this recipe is that it has twice the bananas of most banana bread recipes, so that beautiful flavour takes centre stage. More importantly, the bananas do a lot of the work when it comes to binding and structuring the loaf, so it's very forgiving on substitutions.

I've always used spelt flour instead of wheat, simply because I love its slightly nutty taste here. If you haven't come across spelt before, it's an ancient grain which, though still an older species of wheat containing gluten, is meant to be much easier for our bodies to digest. At the most basic level, that is the distinction between food allergies and intolerances; exposure to a food you're allergic causes an often-immediate immune system reaction, whereas a food you're intolerant to is just difficult for the body to digest properly, resulting in symptoms that are much harder to pinpoint. My test results gave me the all-clear for spelt even though I can't have wheat, so I've used it here. From what I've read, the gluten in spelt flour is more fragile and thus easier for our bodies to digest. It's not safe for coeliacs or the strictly gluten-free but if you're just more sensitive to wheat, give spelt a go. If, however, you do need this recipe to be gluten-free, go ahead and use a gluten-free flour blend e.g. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour. Thanks to the bananas, it'll be just fine.

For other tweaks, I replaced the egg with a chia egg, which completely blew my mind. All you need to do is grind up some chia seeds in a mortar-and-pestle or in your food processor, add some water and then wait for it to gloop up. It works beautifully and since chia seeds have been hailed as a superfood, you can feel even more virtuous as you scoff down this gorgeous banana bread. I replaced the butter with a mix of vegetable and coconut oil without any problems. Coconut oils really vary in quality and flavour so look out for a good one if you're using it for baking. I personally love Lucy Bee's coconut oil, it's unrefined and cold-pressed and supposedly has all sorts of benefits, but it also tastes and smells phenomenal. Like I said, these are all fabulous options if you do have these dietary restrictions. If you're lucky enough not to, just use flour, eggs and butter. Why complicate your life unnecessarily? A cake is a cake.

This is another blank canvas recipe so add whatever you like. I usually thrown in a cup of dark chocolate chips because chocolate+banana=yum and everyone (except my dad) loves that combo. Some toasted walnuts or pecans would no doubt be wonderful, or even some shredded coconut. A dash of cinnamon is never amiss. But the beauty of this banana bread is it welcomes all additions but needs none. It's perfect as it is and that warm, luscious scent will completely fill your house while it's in the oven.

I usually take this into the office or make it for friends and it disappears in no time, so I've never had the joy of leftovers. But today, on the morning of my 24th birthday, I had the best breakfast ever. Please, all of you that make this bread, save some to toast the next morning. I toasted this on my grill pan (no oil or butter needed) and reached a whole new level of banana bread nirvana. Eat this on its own with a cuppa and your day will be made. For the sake of pretty photos, I drizzled mine with Pip & Nut's incredible coconut almond butter and piled on far more sweet strawberries than photographed. Amazing. If you can have dairy, have a slice with a dab of butter or try whipping yogurt or mascarpone with honey or maple syrup, in place of the nut butter, for the most indulgent special occasion breakfast.

Banana bread

Adapted from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights.

INGREDIENTS

• 1⁄3 cup melted butter, dairy-free spread or your choice of oil (vegetable, sunflower and coconut all work well)
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed up
• 3/4 - 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten or 1 chia egg*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 pinch salt
• 11⁄2 cups flour (all-purpose, spelt or a gluten-free blend)*
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional) 

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease a 30 x 23-cm/12 x 1-inch loaf tin.*

Pour the mashed bananas into a big mixing bowl. Mix in the butter/oil, sugar, egg/chia egg and vanilla extract. Add the baking soda and salt and then stir in the flour and chocolate chips, if using, last. Be careful not to over mix.

Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 1 hour, remove and cool, then serve in slices.

Notes: I used a standard 9 x 5-inch tin, which makes for a shorter but no less delicious loaf. For a double chocolate variation, substitute 1/2 a cup of the flour with 1/2 cup cocoa powder - and don't forget the chocolate chips ;)

To make the chia egg, grind one tablespoon of chia seeds and then mix with three tablespoons of water. Leave for five minutes until it forms a gloopy texture and then use in place of a regular egg. If you don't have chia seeds, follow the exact same process with some ground flaxseed. Simple!