FLEURMENTATION

Caramel-ly Miso Banana Loaf

A comforting caramel-ly banana loaf with white miso, maple syrup and buckwheat flour.

A gluten-free, butter-free and refined sugar free recipe with a deep caramel-ly flavour from over-ripe bananas, maple syrup and white miso.

The miso and the banana together gives the loaf a sweet and comforting taste – almost toffee-like.

Buckwheat brings a slightly rustic texture and a gentle nuttiness that pairs perfectly with the miso.

I first made this the other month rummaging around the kitchen, deep in luteal phase and only wanting to hermit – it was the perfect way to feel nourished but satisfy a sweet tooth at the same time.

It’s an easy base to sub when you don’t have everything on the recipe list too – last week week I was low on honey but had a packet of Forest Feast praline nuts in the cupboard so added some of those instead which worked just as well, but just make sure you have the white miso and the bananas – it’s the magic combination of the two that brings the rich caramel flavour.

MISO BANANA LOAF

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp white miso paste
  • 90ml avocado oil or light olive oil
  • 180g buckwheat flour
  • 30g almond flour (optional)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 500g ripe bananas (around 2 medium sizes ones), mashed
  • 75g yogurt or coconut yogurt or kefir
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 80ml maple syrup or honey
  • 1–2 Medjool dates, soaked and blended (optional)
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch sea salt
  • optional: dark chocolate chunks or nuts

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C fan and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together: mashed bananas, miso paste, oil, yogurt (or kefir), maple syrup (or honey), vanilla, apple cider vinegar, blended dates if using.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together: buckwheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture gently until just combined.
  5. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. This helps hydrate the buckwheat flour and improves the final texture.
  6. Fold through chocolate or nuts if using.
  7. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 55–70 minutes, or until deeply golden and a skewer comes out mostly clean.
  8. Leave to cool before slicing and eating, buckwheat becomes much firmer once fully set.

Serving Suggestions

This loaf is especially good:

  • slightly warm with almond butter
  • with thick coconut yogurt (above) and cinnamon sprinkled on top
  • toasted the next day with a small amount of olive oil and sea salt flakes
  • alongside a coffee or matcha in the morning

A Few Notes

  • White miso works best here — darker misos can overpower the banana flavour.
  • The riper the bananas, the sweeter and softer the loaf will be.
  • Buckwheat flour gives a more earthy and nutty flavour to standard gluten-free flour blends.
  • If you’d like it sweeter, add a few extra dates, a little extra cinnamon or an extra handful of dark chocolate.

Nourishing Notes

Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and rich in fibre and minerals – it’s perfect for luteal phase. Bananas bring softness and natural sweetness without needing refined sugar.

White miso adds salty caramelly depth, but also brings fermented qualities that make the loaf have that umami flavour and make it comforting in a different way to traditional banana bread.

Optional Additions

A few ingredients you could add in

  • toasted walnuts
  • tahini swirl
  • sesame seeds on top
  • cinnamon sugar crust
  • banana sliced lengthways down the middle when baked

I hope you enjoy! x

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