Tropical Banana Bread

This fruity loaf is just one of the many ways you can use rice flour in baking. This recipe contains lots of naturally sweet and yummy ingredients, including banana, sultanas, coconut oil, barley malt, ground almonds, desiccated coconut, mixed spice and vanilla. It’s wheat-free, and fairly low in sugar compared to most available recipes (and ready-made supermarket versions).

Banana bread can be enjoyed as it is, or perhaps try with butter or jam!

Organic White Rice Flour, Gluten-Free 1kg (Sussex Wholefoods)

105g rice flour

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil 500ml (Sussex Wholefoods)

100g coconut oil

Xylitol 1kg (Sussex Wholefoods)

90g Xylitol

Organic Sultanas 1kg (Sussex Wholefoods)

75g sultanas

Barley Malt Extract 370g (Meridian)

1 tbsp barley malt extract

Corn Flour (Starch) 500g (Sussex Wholefoods)

50g corn flour

Organic Desiccated Coconut 500g (Sussex Wholefoods)

35g desiccated coconut

Organic Ground Almonds 1kg (Sussex Wholefoods)

35g ground almonds

Clear Latin American Honey, Organic 500g (Equal Exchange)

1 heaped tbsp of honey

Gluten-Free Baking Powder 250g (Sussex Wholefoods)

2 tsp baking powder

Mixed Spice 50g (Hampshire Foods)

Half a tsp of mixed spice

Vanilla Paste 100ml (LittlePod)

Half a tsp of vanilla paste

Other Ingredients

3 medium eggs
3 medium ripe bananas

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180c/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease the inside of a small bread tin with coconut oil (or lay out paper cases into a muffin tray). Then tap a small amount of rice flour around the inside. If you have a silicone mould or a non-stick tin, greasing may not be necessary.
2) Cream the coconut oil together with the Xylitol. (This mix can easily made in a food processor or using an electric hand blender if you are lucky enough to have either of these. Otherwise a little elbow grease is required!) You don’t need to be too fussy about trying to achieve a perfectly smooth, fluffy mix. The coconut oil is so soft it comes together quickly with the Xylitol and the Xylitol granules will melt during baking anyway. I used a food processor and whizzed these ingredients around for a few minutes at a time, stirring occasionally in between a dozen or so rotations.
3) Gradually add the eggs, carefully beating in each egg at a time, followed by a spoonful of barley malt.
4) Add the honey and vanilla and stir to combine. Mash up the bananas and gradually add these too.
5) Sift in the rice flour, cornflour, baking powder and mixed spice. Gently fold these in. Follow by folding in the desiccated coconut, almond powder and the sultanas. Ensure the sultanas are evenly distributed throughout.
6) Pour into a small bread tin or alternatively spoon into small cake/muffin cases. Place in the bread tin in the middle shelf of the oven for 40-50mins (20mins for the muffins). Baking times are quicker with a fan-assisted oven. If unsure, test by skewering the thickest part of the loaf/muffin. If the skewer is clean, remove banana bread from oven.