Sugar-Free Barley Flour Banana Bread

Ingredients:

-3 mashed very ripe bananas .
-3/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey (or a combination of both)
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup almond milk (or any alt milk)
-1.5 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp ground cinnamon (more to sprinkle on top)
-1/2 tsp salt (I used pink Himalayan)
-3/4 cup chopped raw almonds (or nut of choice such as walnuts/pecans)
-1 + 3/4 cup barley flour (other flours work as well but I really like this one!)
-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil melted
-1 tbsp raw cacao powder
-1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

2.In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup together and then add the eggs and milk. Mash the bananas until they are as smooth as you can get them and then add and beat into the rest of the mixture.

3.Add the cacao, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and whisk until blended. Then slowly add the flour and stir together with a large spoon. Add the nuts and anything else you might want to put into the bread as well!

4.Pour batter into loaf pan and top with more cinnamon and sprinkle with raw pumpkin seeds or more crushed up nuts!

5.Bake for about an hour, checking periodically towards the end of the time by inserting a toothpick in the centre. If when you remove it the pick comes out clean, it’s ready to take out of the oven. Let it sit for about ten minutes and then loosen around the edges with a knife and remove to let sit for another ten minutes before serving. I had mine heated up with a bit of unsalted grass fed butter and honey drizzled on top.