The Best Banana Bread Has a Dirty Secret…

How can something that looks so delicious be lacking in one of the most vital baking ingredients ever?

It doesn’t contain any wheat.

I’m not going to write out a long story or metaphor or analogy or parable as to how I came to this recipe, or why.  If you want to know why I’m off wheat, check out my previous post.

This recipe is mostly my own.  It’s an amalgam of many different recipes I’ve tried over the years, and includes a few of my own substitutions and ideas.  By my account and those of friends and family, this recipe produces a moist, rounded, and sophisticated banana bread that, while delicate, can hold up to a variety of spreads or accompaniments without being overshadowed.

This recipe is extremely healthy, containing very little fat and a ton of protein, and is perfect as part of a gluten- or wheat-free diet, or for those trying to limit calories.  It is also great as post workout snack, acting as a good source of both complex and simple carbs, and muscle-repairing protein.

I’ve made this bread every weekend since creating this recipe.  This is a great way to use up bananas that have gone past the point where you’d eat them, but haven’t yet rotted, and I actually buy a bunch of bananas at the beginning of the week, and let them ripen until the following weekend, to the point where they are completely brown and soft, just to be able to make this.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbs. (.5 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large bananas (ripe to the point of nearly rotting)
• 1 cup (about six oz.) plain or vanilla greek yoghurt, fat-free
• .5 tsp. vanilla extract or liquer
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup almond meal
• .75 tsp. salt
• .5 tsp. baking soda
• .25 tsp. baking powder
• .5 tsp. cinnamon
• .25 tsp. nutmeg
• Additional ingredients, such as chocolate, walnuts, or dried cranberries to taste

Why I Went Wheat Free, and What That Means For Me

Recently, I went off wheat.

Many of you who follow my blog closely know that I suffered from some sort of dermatitis on my face that never seemed to go away permanently.  About a month ago, it got so bad that I had to schedule an emergency appointment with my dermatologist, and she was finally able to diagnose it as a moderate-severe case of eczema.  I was prescribed Protopic (a high level immunosuppressant) that literally cleared it up within two days.  However, this ointment is a pain to apply as it has the consistency of Vaseline (so it never absorbs completely) and looks incredibly greasy when on (so I only wear it at night).  I tried not using it for a day, and the eczema came back right away.

Now that I knew what this skin affliction was, I started doing some research to see what I could do to end it.  After a few weeks of reading through multiple articles that basically said that medication was my only hope, I stumbled upon one that listed wheat as a possible instigator of skin rashes.  Armed with my new search-word, I was flooded with articles and research about wheat allergies (different from coeliac, which is a gluten allergy, wheat allergies are often an adverse reaction to the a certain protein found only in wheat products).  And, surprisingly, many of them listed eczema as a possible symptom of mild wheat intolerance.

Seeing no downside to testing this theory, I went off wheat for a week.  Now, for me, that was no big deal.  I don’t eat pasta or bread, and looking over my normal diet, the only things I’d need to cut out would be granola bars and baked goods (I love baking).

To properly test this possibility, I would also have to forego using the Protopic for a few days after purging wheat from my system.  So, after a week of denying myself all manner of confectionaries, I went for three days without using the ointment.  And nothing happened.  My skin stayed clear.  No dry, red, inflamed skin.  Nothing.