Buckwheat Banana Bread
I know, I know. Like the world really needs another banana bread recipe, right? But this banana bread recipe is tried and true in our house. First given to me by friend Patrick years ago, the original version came from Patrick’s grandmother Jean.
I’ve fiddled with the recipe over the years and my latest variation includes gluten-free buckwheat flour. I’ve also decreased the amount of sugar from the original recipe to better suit our family.
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Ingredients
- butter
- sugar
- brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 overripe bananas
- plain yogurt
- vanilla
- buckwheat flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
Why I Love This Recipe
- Nutrition – Ok, so this buckwheat banana bread does contain sugar, however, using whole grain buckwheat flour makes me feel better about giving my daughter a slice as a snack. Buckwheat flour is high in protein and fibre.
- Flavour – Buckwheat flour has an earthy, nutty flavour, and I use it often, making buckwheat pancakes most weekends. The nuttiness of the flour is masked by the bananas in this recipe, however, it retains moisture and structure as good as any other flour I’ve tried.
- No Mixer Required – I use melted butter for banana bread and mix everything in one bowl. Why make more work, and dirty more dishes if you don’t have to?
- It Freezes Well – After your loaf cools completely you can slice it and freeze it. Buckwheat banana bread will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in the freezer for up to a month. Just take a slice or two out and gently heat in the microwave, or leave covered on the counter for 30 minutes, to thaw.
Why You Should Use Frozen Bananas For Banana Bread
Ha, ok so you don’t actually use frozen bananas in the bread, you thaw them first (maybe someone out there has never made banana bread before and doesn’t know?). The number one reason I like to use bananas that have been frozen first is because they are much easier to mash in the bowl. Fresh bananas left out on the counter, even if they’re completely black on the outside, don’t mash as well as thawed frozen bananas do.
Baking With Buckwheat Flour
Buckwheat flour is made from grinding the seeds of the buckwheat plant and is not related to wheat. Because buckwheat flour is gluten-free, it doesn’t have the same lift and stretch as wheat flour, which contains gluten.
For 100% buckwheat flour recipes I usually stick to cookies, crisps, or pancakes. When baking cakes, muffins, or recipes like this buckwheat banana bread I find I need to add a bit of extra rising ingredients like baking soda, baking powder, or both to help get a better lift.
Why Do You Use Melted Butter?
This recipe contains eggs, baking soda, and baking powder. Because these are all leavening agents which help the banana bread rise, using melted butter doesn’t affect the structure of the loaf (or at least never has for me).
I start with the bowl I’m going to mix everything in, put the butter in, melt it in the microwave, and then follow the recipe from there. Using melted butter saves time and effort and I am so down with that!
Tips & Suggestions For Making Buckwheat Banana Bread:
- If buckwheat flour isn’t your jam you can do a straight substitution of all-purpose flour. You can also substitute in some whole wheat flour if you like, however, I find whole wheat flour sucks up moisture, and makes for a more dense bake in general. Maybe try 1 cup of all-purpose flour and ½ cup of whole wheat.
- You can use white sugar if you don’t have cane sugar.
- Swap in sour cream if you don’t have plain yogurt. Nanny Jean’s original recipe called for sour cream, however, I always have plain yogurt in my fridge so that’s what I use.
- Try stirring ½ to 1 cup of chocolate chips into your batter before you pour it into the loaf tin.
- You could also try adding nuts or seeds. I feel like sunflower and chia seeds would be great in this loaf, though I haven’t tried it myself.
- Add up to a teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom. A touch of nutmeg would also be nice if you like nutmeg but I wouldn’t add more than ¼ teaspoon as I find nutmeg can be overpowering.
More Recipes
Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread With Cider Glaze A tasty tea time treat! A simple apple cider glaze adds a sweet finishing touch.
Double Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies Made with cocoa and dark chocolate, these brownies are a rich, fudgy, gluten-free treat that will satisfy any chocolate craving!
One Bowl Sourdough Banana Bread Light, fluffy, moist, not too sweet, and calls for ¾ cup of unfed starter.
Did you make this buckwheat banana bread, or any other recipe on my site? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you made out in the comments below. You can also stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
One Bowl Buckwheat Banana Bread
Equipment
- Standard loaf tin
- Parchment paper
- Microwave-safe mixing bowl
- Microwave or you can use a pot on the stove
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Fork
- Digital kitchen thermometer optional
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 medium bananas, overripe with lots of spots or completely dark on the outside
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- coarse sugar, for the top before baking, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease a standard loaf tin with butter and line it with parchment paper. Leave a bit of parchment paper hanging over the sides to use as handles to lift out the loaf once it is baked. Set aside.
- Place the butter in a medium-large microwave safe mixing bowl (I use glass). Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until it is completely melted. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a fork, mix the sugars into the melted butter to dissolve. Add the eggs and continue to mix with the fork until the batter is smooth.
- Add the overripe bananas to the bowl. Use your fork to mash the bananas. Squish chunks of banana against the side of the bowl with the tines of the fork to mush up even more. Stir to combine.
- Mix in the yogurt and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
- Add the buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Continue to mix with your fork until everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Smooth the top of the batter lightly with your fork, then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar if using. Bake the loaf for 45 to 50 minutes or until an internal temperature reading of 200ºF to 205ºF (93ºC to 96ºC) is reached on a digital thermometer. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack for 10 minutes before lifting it out of the tin by the parchment paper handles and onto the rack. Remove the parchment paper and cool the banana bread for 30 minutes before slicing.
I love banana bread but I’ve never made it with buckwheat. It looks like it would give it a great hearty texture. Putting this on the ‘to try’ list.
I have a fondness for all things buckwheat thanks to my Polish roots. I haven’t used buckwheat flour very much but what a great idea! Can’t wait to try this delicious looking banana bread.
Because I cannot eat gluten, I love buckwheat flour & use it a lot. I often make banana bread with coconut flour, but I’ve never used buckwheat flour for banana bread. Yours looks so good, I know I need to try it.
Another great bb recipe. Can’t wait to try this one with buckwheat flour! looks great!
I have yet to use buckwheat flour! Looks delicious and I love recipes that don’t require the mixer.
Really moist bread, but way too salty. Would try again but with 1/2 t salt.
Thanks for such a good recipe.
I love the nutty flavour of Buckwheat but have never baked a risen treat with it before as I thought it might be too dense. But holy!! This is amazing!! I added choc chips and a tsp of Cinnamon and its delish!
This recipe is a keeper! Having been diagnosed with celiac about a year ago, I had to learn to bake gluten free. For the most part, I have not been very impressed with results. However, I tried this recipe and it’s delicious! Very moist, flavourful, and not gritty or gummy like a lot of GF baking. You would not know it’s GF. I added a half cup of chocolate chips and a half cup of pecans; very impressive banana bread. Thanks for sharing thr recipe.