Low- Carb Banana bread....

Lately my husband has been on a sort of a food adventure, wanting to try new, and healthier foods. He even went so far as to purchase a 10 quart pressure cooker, of which  I am totally at a loss of what to make in it, as there are just the two of us...LOL Although the pressure cooker really has nothing to do with the bread recipe I am going to share, his venture of finding healthier eating alternatives does. As I have previously mentioned, he has type 2 diabetes. I hope you like the picture of the bread, I couldn't wait to show off the beautiful plate I got at a garage sale....LOVE it!

Although he has sampled my dessert creations from time to time, usually the ones in which I have used coconut sugar, as it doesn't raise his blood sugar as rapidly, I have yet to made a recipe just for his diabetic needs, basically because he is not a sweet eater in general. Well today was the day that changed! I chose a recipe of something I know he will enjoy on occasion, and that everyone else will like as well, banana bread. It not only helped me use the leftover bananas sitting on my counter, but come up with a delicious treat of which he can indulge in, without guilt.

This bread originally calls for almond meal, but I switched it out for almond flour, as this is what I had on hand. There is virtually NO added sweeteners of any kind in this recipe, so the flavor and sweetness in the bread comes from the bananas. Now, I personally like sweetness in my desserts and quick breads, but I must say that this loaf did not disappoint. The recipe says to bake it 45 - 55 minutes so I set my timer to the 45 mark and it was done. Actually, it was slightly browner than I would like, so I will test at the 40 minute mark next go around.  Although it definitely does not have the sweetness I personally am use to, remember, it has NO sugar,  I would still give it a 4 1/2 stars. I might try adding a drop of banana flavoring next time around also.

This is really one of the easiest quick breads I have made. It is moist, light, and definitely not overly sweet. It also doesn't have that gooey heavy texture most banana breads have when using traditional wheat flours. I believe this recipe could even be considered KETO, correct me if I'm wrong....

It is soooooo good lathered with some butter! I must admit I had to have a slice before the hubby got home. I had to make sure it is good enough for my knight in shining armor, didn't I ? The recipe nutritional info only stated that there were 12 slices - 131 calories The slices also didn't disappoint as they were a very nice size as you can see from the picture above.

Please let me know if you try the recipe and drop me a line.

Enjoy,
Sharon Lee

Low- Carb Banana Bread Recipe

3 medium bananas, very ripe  ( should measure at 1 c )
3 eggs
2 T oil
224 gr almond flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with coconut oil, or spray and set aside
In a 2 c measuring cup,  mash the bananas, should measure 1 cup total.
Add the eggs and oil to the cup. Blend. Now add water until it comes to the 2 cup line.
In a medium bowl whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt until blended with a whisk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend with the whisk until thoroughly incorporated, do not over mix. Stir in the walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40-55 minutes depending on your oven and pan size. ( next time I plan on trying a 7.5 x 3.5 pan found to the right of this blog at Amazon, to give the bread a little more height)
Test with a toothpick which should come out clean if done. Check at the 40 minute mark, then every few minutes until done.
Remove from the oven and set pan on a rack to cool.
After 10-15 minutes run a knife around edges of pan to loosen and turn loaf out on the rack to finish cooling.

 

Pie Crust for a Apple pie to brag about!

                                                                                  

So last post I mentioned that I had a pie crust recipe my friend Helen had given me that I really wanted to try. It was a regular crust recipe that I needed to convert to gluten free. Well today I think I got it on the first try...I did have to adjust  the amount of  water that went into it, and add some xanthan gum, but other than that it was pretty straight forward.

The picture of the pie does not do it justice. Although the pie is still to hot to taste, as it just came out of the oven, I can assure you it is going to be a winner! How can I tell, you ask? Well I cheated and broke off a piece of the crust to sample. It was tender, and flaky, and I honestly don't think my family is going to know the difference. Here is the reason why....I made chocolate cupcakes the other day when converting a regular cake recipe to gluten free. (still working on it) The cupcakes turned out a little more dense than I personally care for, but my daughter and her family ranted, and raved about them....asking what kind of cupcakes they were. Well in my opinion they pretty much had the taste of a German chocolate cake, not the regular chocolate cake I was going for. OH!, was the response, well they were really good! So therefore I really believe the pie is going to be a big hit!

Before I start, please know I am a big fan of the old wooded rolling pins, and I still use my mothers, making sure it is well floured before I start to roll out the dough. They have worked the best for me when having to roll anything out in my recipes. I might also try chilling the dough first for about one hour the next time before rolling it out. I usually do, but I was in a hurry this morning and wanted to speed things up a little. It definitely would be a little firmer to handle if chilled. I also put the shortening in the freezer for about one hour before starting the crust, as this makes a HUGE difference in the taste and texture.

So at this point the pie has now cooled enough to sample and I have to admit I am pretty excited. The other night my oldest daughter Dana and I had gone out for pie to a local restaurant in the area, and I must admit that although their pie was delicious, I believe this crust would win hands up. I don't know if its because the shortening was chilled or not, but the crust is so light and fluffy, that I wish there was more....The cinnamon did not over power, and the sugar was just enough as to not take away the sweetness of the apples.  But the CRUST......Delish!

It has a buttery taste even though there was no butter used, and stayed flaky even with the juice of the apples, which there was a whole three pounds of. I am sure my family will ask why there is a piece missing, but I guess that's just one of the benefits of being the baker. LOL

So after telling my friend thanks for the great recipe, it seems only right to share a piece or two with her. So I am off for a visit, but not before I share the recipe with you.
Enjoy, and have a apple kind of day!
Sharon Lee

Double Pie Crust:

250 gr  Basic Gluten Free Multi Purpose Blend (recipe shown below post)
1 teas salt
3/4 c well chilled vegetable shortening (Put in freezer 1/2 to 1 hour before preparing)
1 large egg, PLUS (additional egg yoke to brush top crust if desired)
3-4 T ice cold water  ( I used 4)
1/4 teas xanthan gum

Apple filling:

3 pounds of apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 T lemon juice (keeps apples from browning in color)
1 teas cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Measure out shortening and put in freezer.
Put ice in measuring cup with water.
Place egg in separate bowl.
Measure out salt, xanthan gum, and flour into large bowl.

Take the shortening from freezer and using a pastry cutter blend into flour mixture until crumbly and uniform. Next add the whole egg, and cut in until completely blended, about 1 minute.
Add 1 T ice cold water at a time until the mixture forms a soft uniform ball. Split ball in two and wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until cool. This helps the dough roll better without sticking. After rolling  you could return to refrigerator to "solid" up making it easier to place in pie plate without tearing. Place the sliced apple mixture in the pie pan and place the rolled top pastry on top. Crimp pie edges. I brushed the top of pie with 1 egg yoke mixed with about 1 T water and then sprinkled the top of pie with granulated sugar. Bake in oven on 375* for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350* and bake for additional 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.
Makes 1 pie.


*NOTE....I found the dough so tender that I had several tears in the pastry which I had to PATCH, but the flavor and texture were worth it. I might try to cut the water down to 3T next time and see if that helps if the chilling process doesn't..

Basic Gluten Free Multi Purpose Flour Blend

452 gr Superfine brown rice flour
226 gr Potato STARCH
76 gr Tapioca starch/flour

Mix and keep in refrigerator or freezer