FODMAP IT!™ Nana’s Banana Bread

We Put Nana’s Banana Bread Through Our FODMAP IT!™ System

Madeleine Platten sent us her Nana’s Banana Bread to be re-worked into a low FODMAP recipe.

Did you know that we have a FODMAP IT!™ column and service? We take recipes from cookbooks, magazines and YOU into our Test Kitchen and reformulate them into low FODMAP appropriate versions.

Send us yours!

Madeleine also calls this recipe “Perfectly Dense Banana Bread” and while it is a hearty loaf, our version was not dense. I would call it a sweet, close-grained banana bread. We asked her some background questions about her Nana’s Banana Bread before we got started in the kitchen:

Our Approach

We stuck with the original amount of sugar in her Nana’s Banana Bread, which is generous, and you could try making this with less. If you want a lower sugar version we would suggest trying with 1 cup (198 g).

Her Nana also used conventional all-purpose wheat flour, which we replace with a lesser amount of low FODMAP gluten-free flour.

Gluten-free flours tend to be heavier and denser in weight than conventional all-purpose flour, hence the lower volume in our new rendition.

When FODMAPing a traditional baking recipe we do usually recommend that you use a flour blend that contains xanthan gum as it will more closely mimic the type of the flour that you are replacing in terms of texture in the finished balked good.

I reduced her original amount of nuts by one-quarter to lessen the FODMAP Stacking issue.

If you are a fan of our banana bread then you know that I am partial to using narrower, taller loaf pans as I like the look of the bread slices when all is said and done, but because most folks have 9-inch by 5-inch (23 cm by 12 cm) loaf pan around I chose to use this dimension for this recipe.

And speaking of loaf pans, the original recipe called for a greased loaf pan, which we did, but we also lined it with parchment paper for easy unmolding.

I also chose to use a lighter colored loaf pan as banana bread browns very quickly and a darker pan might encourage that; ditto the large amount of sugar.

Other than that we believe this is a fairly close rendition to her cherished family recipe for Nana’s Banana Bread.

Bananas & FODMAPs

If you have been following the low FODMAP diet for a while then you know that bananas were downgraded a while ago to smaller servings to still be considered low FODMAP.

Ripe bananas are higher in fructose (their FODMAP) than unripe bananas and this is an issue when baking since we want to use very ripe bananas. Green bananas just won’t do.

The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet Smartphone App lists ripe (common) bananas as Green Light low FODMAP in 33 g (about 1 ounce) amounts, which is about one-third of a medium banana.

This is why it is important to pay attention to the smaller serving sizes of this banana bread. We are grateful to be able to have our old favorites – even if it has to be in reduced amounts.

At FODMAP Everyday® we want to help you thrive on the low FODMAP diet and never feeling deprived and working with portion sizes is key.

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4.41 from 15 votes

FODMAP IT!™ Nana's Banana Bread

This recipe for FODMAP IT!™ Nana's Banana Bread comes from community member Madeleine Platten. Send us YOUR recipe if you would like us to re-create it and make it low FODMAP compliant.

Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes 1 loaf; 14 slices; serving size 1 slice

Makes: 14 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) lactose-free whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups (363 g) low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups (297 g) sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) ripe, fork-mashed bananas
• 3/4 cup (85 g) chopped walnuts

Preparation:

1. Position rack in the center of your oven. Preheat to 350° F/180°C. Coat the insides of a 9-inch by 5-inch (23 cm by 12 cm) loaf pan with non stick spray, line with parchment along the bottom creating overhang on the short sides, then coat the paper with nonstick spray as well.
2. Stir the milk and lemon juice together in a small bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
4. Cream butter with an electric mixer on high speed in a large bowl until soft. Add sugar and continue to beat until well-combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. It will still look a bit sugary. Beat in eggs one at a time, allowing each to become absorbed before adding the next. Briefly beat in bananas.
5. Gently beat in the flour mixture and the soured milk just until a few floury streaks remain, then add nuts and beat just until combined.
6. Scrape batter into loaf pan and smooth top. Bake for 40 minutes, then turn oven down to 325°F/165°C and continue to bake for about 20 to 30 minutes more. A toothpick should just test clean when inserted in center of the loaf, the top will rise and be a deep golden brown and possibly crack. The edges will also just be pulling away from the sides of the pan.
7. Cool pan on rack for 10 minutes, then use the overhang of parchment to gently remove the loaf from the pan, pull away the parchment and cool the loaf completely on the rack. This bread slices and tastes best after an overnight rest. Once completely cooled double wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Bread will keep for about 3 days wrapped well at room temperature or a few days longer if refrigerated. You can also freeze the loaf in which case, double wrap with plastic wrap and then slip into a heavy zip top bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes:

Tips

• Don't worry about baking with very ripe bananas! They will provide the best taste and texture and if you stick with the serving sizes, the banana bread will remain low FODMAP.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.5mg

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.