Recipe: Buckwheat Miso Banana Bread

For rainy days. For sunny snacks. For afternoon tea. For breakfast treats. Not too sweet, gluten-free, mildly fermented, and highly addictive, this is what’s been on the cutting board here during quarantine.

MAKES: 1 pullman loaf or two individual loaves

300g buckwheat flour

150g oats (I’ve been using Farm and Sparrow’s stone-cut oats)

380g yogurt

280g sugar

115g olive oil or melted coconut oil

4 eggs

150g miso paste

4 very ripe bananas (about 500g)

1 T cocoa powder

1 t cinnamon

1 t black pepper

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 c black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, or millet (an optional topping)

The night before you plan to bake, mix together the buckwheat, oats, yogurt, and sugar into a stiff paste in a large bowl. Let sit out at room temp or just above room temp overnight: the yogurt will lactoferment the grains slightly, boosting flavor and nutrition. The next morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a pullman pan or two loaf pans with oiled parchment paper. Mash together the bananas, oil, eggs, and miso in a bowl or blender until well combined—it’s okay if there are a few small chunks of banana, but the miso should be fully blended in. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, spices, salt, and baking soda and powder. To the fermented buckwheat and oat mixture, first add the banana-miso blend, and once incorporated add the dry mix of spices and leavening agents. Pour batter into the pullman pan or two loaf pans and top with sesame seeds or millet if desired. Bake for about 60-70 minutes (if doing two loaf pans, reduce the time by about 15 to 20 minutes) or until the edges are well-browned and the top is firm to the touch. It is difficult to overbake this quick-bread, as the lack of gluten structure and wet dough make it very tender; conversely, it needs to be baked until well-browned all around for the inside to fully set. Cool for at least an hour before slicing into.