Buckwheat Banana Bread with Salted Nut Toffee (Gluten-free. Oil-free. Dairy-free Optional)

If you live in Los Angeles, and consider yourself a foodie, you've definitely either heard of, or have been to Gjusta, a California deli, bakery, café, and market that offers swoon-worthy food. My husband LOVES this place, and one item he ALWAYS gets (if it's available), is their Buckwheat Banana Bread slice. When I saw it, I was hoping it was gluten-free, but it's not. 

After recently watching my husband devour his Buckwheat Banana slice, I was motivated to use buckwheat in a new banana creation. This recipe is made using apple sauce instead of oil or butter, is sweetened with low-glycemic coconut sugar, is adorned with a Salted Nut Toffee, and it tastes wonderful! I hope you'll carve out some time to make this Gjusta-inspired Banana Bread, and when you do, please let me know what you and yours thought of it! 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Makes: 8-10 slices

Ingredients for the Banana Bread

• ¾ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
• 1¼  cup coconut sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• ¼  cup milk (cow or vegan)
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract (optional)
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups all-purpose, gluten-free flour (or 1 cup all GF purpose + 1 cup buckwheat flour)
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Salted Nut Toffee (optional)

• 2 tablespoons of butter (vegan butter is fine, too)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey
• ½ cup chopped your choice nuts or seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt 

How To 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Onto the Buckwheat Banana Bread:

Lightly oil a baking pan. Add parchment paper if desired.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the banana bread. Whisk thoroughly to combine ingredients. Your batter will be fluffy and thick. 

Pour batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked inside. Test for doneness by inserting a knife to see if it comes out clean. 

Allow the banana bread to cool down until it's warm. While it's cooling, quickly prepare the Salted Walnut Toffee.

For the Salted Nut Toffee:

Warm up a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, then pour in the maple syrup. Use a whisk and stir the ingredients for 3-5 minutes, or until a thick caramel consistency is achieved. Turn the heat off and remove the skillet from the hot burner. Add the chopped nuts (or seeds) and stir to distribute.

Carefully spoon the salted nut toffee onto the banana bread while it's still warm, so that as it cools down, it will stick to the top of the loaf. 

Cut loaf into slices (as thick as you want), and ENJOY!