There has definitely been plenty of trial and error trying to get these right.  Many of the recipes I followed were simply too dense, heavy or salty, but I think I have found a pretty good balance, whilst keeping them healthy and not overly sweet (or salty) which is often something that occurs with Paleo Baked goods.

One of the joys of being in Quarantine (and you need to try and find some joy amidst the madness) is that you have plenty of time to "Test" the recipes out.

These are adapted from both Sweet Laurel's recipe and The Paleo Running Momma's.

MAKES 12 PERFECT MUFFINS
​
Ingredients:
2 cups super fine blanched Almond flour
⅓ cup Tapioca flour or Arrowroot flour
¾  tsp Baking Soda 
​¼ tsp Baking Powder
¼  tsp salt
4 large Eggs room temp
⅓  cup fresh Lemon juice
Grated zest of two med Lemons
1/3 cup (+ a little extra) of 100% Maple Syrup or Raw Honey (melted slightly if necessary to soften)
¼ cup Coconut oil refined (the liquid one preferably)
1 tsp pure Vanilla extract
1 Tbsp Poppy seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and either line a 12 cup muffin pan with parchment liners, or use a Silicone muffin tray (like the SILPAT one I have) which skips the pre-greasing step altogether!
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, which include the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and then set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract until well combined. Then stir in the poppy seeds to evenly distribute. I use an electrical whisk for ease and evenness, (just makes life easier).
4. Divide the muffin batter evenly among the liners/muffin holes, filling them ¾ of the way up to allow for rising.
5. Place in your preheated oven for about 22-26 mins or until middles are set and domed -- insert a toothpick in the centre till it comes out clean.
6. Cool muffins on wire racks till you can't wait any more, cause you just need to take a bite!
7. Store leftovers, loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, and in the refrigerator thereafter (remember these contain eggs!). 

       Enjoy alone, with Coffee, Tea or whatever takes your fancy!
​

Let me know if you tried making these, and if so, what your thoughts are.
​Did you need to make any adjustments?

By Alexandra Black

Being in Quarantine has me cooking, preparing, making and baking all sorts of things I wouldn't usually do. My brother made a Banana loaf, and so did my Mother-In-Law so I naturally wanted to join in the fun. 
Because I mainly follow a Paleo style diet, I wanted to make sure this was a guilt-free banana loaf and I searched and tried many recipes before settling on this one, which is adapted from the Paleo Running Momma.

INGREDIENTS:
3 large over-ripe Bananas (mashed up)
4 large eggs (room temp)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil (liquid form is best)
1 3/4 cups fine blanched almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 tbsp Agave Nectar (or Paleo Sweetener of your choice)

METHOD:
1. Mix  all of the dry ingredients together and set aside for a moment.
2. Preheat your oven to 355 degrees ºF (180 ºC)  
3. Line a 9" loaf pan and coat it with a spritz of Avocado oil or Olive Oil.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together (electrically if you can) the eggs and mashed bananas,
then add the vanilla, agave syrup and coconut oil until well combined. I like to get mine as smooth as possible, making it all nice and bubbly.
5. Slowly stir the wet mixture into the dry (don’t use an electric mixer here as you will overmix the batter and prevent it from rising properly) just until moistened and no visible flour remains. You will end up with a fairly liquid-like consistency batter.
6. Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes until it is a lovely golden brown.  Use a toothpick to check that it is fully cooked by inserting into the centre of the loaf, if it is done it should come out clean.
7. Allow to cool completely in the loaf pan or resting on a wire rack. (I popped mine out on a Wax Paper that I then used to cover the remaining loaf).
Slice and Enjoy!

by Alexandra Black

We followed the instructions to make the Sourdough Leaven via Positively Probiotic which gave us great quality Leaven, with plenty of bubbles and a wonderful aroma. See instructions here or here.
They also offer instructions on how to make No Knead Bread, but I personally found a video was easier to follow.

So, we then watched the wonderful video provided by Food52 and Baker/Sourdough savant, Sarah Owens from Ritual Fine Foods. It is a charming video, and it explains everything in great detail.

INGREDIENTS:
60g Leaven (ripe and ready Sourdough starter)
300g Water (room temperature, not cold)

Stir and mix the two together, then add...

310g Stone Ground Organic Flour (or Flour of choice)
80g Whole Wheat Flour (add more water the more whole wheat as it will be more thirsty).

Get flour fully hydrated. Mix with hands.
Watch the Video to see how it is done!

We followed this to the Tee and made the wonderful loaf seen in the photos.
It rose perfectly, had plenty of bubbles/gluten structures when we cut it open. It was baked to perfection and tasted amazing and I think it was not only because we followed everything rigorously, we also had the perfect equipment.

I have a bad habit of having to buy all the equipment, gadgets or whatever it is that I need to start something new. And this occasion is no different. I did some research and it appeared that I needed a few things in order to make the perfect loaf of bread.  In our case, a San Fran Wharf Sourdough. I think preparing yourself with this stuff makes all the difference in the quality of what you make. 
​These are very exciting times my friends. I'm going to make home-made bread and I've never done that before!

So here is the list of what I purchased: