Ground flax or ground chia* seeds are often used as egg replacements in baking, but only in special circumstances. Google it. Everyone will tell you NOT to use an egg replacement with coconut flour. The naysayers shout:

"It'll never work!"

"The outside cooks and the middle stays wet!" 

"The baking will cave in!"  

I couldn't quite believe it. Would these terrible things actually happen to my banana bread if I put these two strange bedfellows into the same mixing bowl?  I had to try. 

First, I made the egg-inclusive recipe similar to the Rye Banana Bread recipe at Health Tart.  Everyone liked it, gone in a day.  The next day, I made the flax egg version.  

The result? It was even better than the egg version, full-flavoured, springy, and perfectly cooked all the way through. It lasted two days, possibly because we'd just gobbled up a whole loaf the day before, and I was thrilled to find that it was still moist and delicious the second day. Not always the case with vegan baking.  

Out of eggs? Curious? I declare it a delicious experiment to try the recipe below.**

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs 3 flax eggs
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • 1½ cup rye flour
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground ceylon cinnamon 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 small roughly mashed bananas
  • 5 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 

How to make a flax egg

  • Grind*** 1 tablespoon of flax seeds.
  • Mix with 2.5 tablespoons of water.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • The mixture should be gooey and egg-like.  If not, try putting it in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

  2. Line small loaf pan with baking paper.

  3. Mix up flax egg.  

  4. In the dry bowl, mix the coconut flour, rye flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  5. In the wet bowl, mash the bananas. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and flax egg. 

  6. Add the wet to the dry and whisk together.

  7. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. 

  8. Bake for 50 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.

    *Next time I'll try it with chia seeds. 

    **Further experiments are required to determine the flax egg + coconut flour breaking point, if one exists. 

    ***It's better to buy whole flax seeds and grind them with a coffee grinder, high-speed blender, spice mill, or mortal and pestle because the oil can become rancid after the seeds are broken down. Rancid oil doesn't taste nice and it isn't good for you either.