Banana bread is the all time favourite classic bread in our household. I tried many recipes and all of them gave the perfect result. This one doesn’t contain sugar, it is sweetened with dates and bananas. It’s moist, delicious, also gluten-free and sweet enough without sugar. It’s also crisp because of the toasted sunflower- and pumpkin seeds on top. It’s perfect and wonderful for an afternoon tea/coffee session or for breakfast (toasted).
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Date Olive Oil Banana Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
This one doesn’t contain sugar, it is sweetened with dates and bananas. It’s moist, delicious and also gluten-free.
Ingredients
- – 1 cup (240 ml) dates (about 9 pieces), pitted, chopped
- – 2 tbsp (30 ml) boiling water
- – 1 tsp baking soda
- – 1 and 1/2 cups (360 ml) brown rice flour
- – 1/2 cup (120 ml) millet flour
- – 2 tsp baking powder
- – 3 bananas, peeled and mashed with a fork
- – 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- – 2 organic or free-range eggs
- – 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
- – grated zest of 1 lemon
- – sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together chopped dates with baking soda and boiling water. Set aside. Line a 23 cm (9 inch) long loaf pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F).
- In a bowl combine the dry ingredients: rice flour, millet flour, baking powder. In another bowl mix together the wet ingredients: mashed bananas, olive oil, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients mixture into the dry one, stirring until just combined. Fold dates, hot water and baking soda in.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, sprinkle the top with sunflower- and pumpkin seeds and bake it on 180C (356F) for about 60 minutes. It’s ready when the cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 210
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the dates mixed with baking soda and boiling water before being added to the batter?
Soaking the chopped dates in 2 tbsp of boiling water with 1 tsp baking soda softens the dates quickly and helps them break down into the batter more evenly, while the alkaline soda deepens their caramel-like flavor.
Is this bread actually sweet enough without any added sugar?
Yes — I rely entirely on 1 cup of dates and 3 mashed bananas for sweetness, and I describe the result as “sweet enough without sugar” and “delicious.” The dates’ natural sugars are concentrated and contribute more sweetness per gram than granulated sugar.
What makes this bread gluten-free, and can I substitute regular flour?
I use 1 1/2 cups of brown rice flour plus 1/2 cup of millet flour in place of wheat flour. Swapping these for all-purpose wheat flour would work but the bread would no longer be gluten-free and the texture would be denser.
