Healthy Banana Bread
I’m not quite sure why banana bread became such a popular thing to bake during COVID quarantine, I can only make educated guesses based on the honest truth that there has been a fresh loaf on our counter almost every week.
The fact that I bake banana bread with overripe bananas makes we wonder about my grocery shopping & change in eating habits since the pandemic began; clearly we’ve been buying nature’s perfectly packaged snack unnecessarily & we no longer eat fruit?
Still, I’m not sorry. When I spy three spotty, black bananas on the banana tree, I reach for my trusty loaf pans & bake not one, but two somewhat healthy banana bread loaves. I say somewhat healthy because there is sugar, oil, & buttermilk, however, I intentionally use a combination of wholewheat & all-purpose flours in addition to keeping the sweetness minimal.
The finished result is a delicious, wholesome banana bread studded with plump golden raisins & chunks of walnuts that can be rustled up in next to no time.
I’ve been making this recipe on repeat for as long as I can recall. It’s been tweaked & tested numerous times & I confess, very few other banana bread variations have been given an opportunity to win my praise. I typically slice & freeze one of the loaves (it toasts beautifully right out of the freezer!) while the second one provides an easy breakfast treat for a couple of days. Side note, it’s amazing warmed up with a little Nutella on top (thanks for that, Katie!)
Lockdown or not, I’ve continued to buy bananas & bake with the untouched fruit that’s beyond consumption in it’s purest form (anyone else hate eating overripe bananas raw?)
Still baking banana bread also? Let me know if you try my recipe in the comments!
Healthy Banana Bread
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Serves: 8 slices
ingredients
1 cup (136g / 5 oz) all purpose or plain flour
1 1/3 cups (175g / 6 oz) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (100g / 4 oz) sugar
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup (approx. 155 ml) corn oil
2/3 cup (approx. 155 ml) buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (75g / 3 oz) chopped walnuts
2/3 cup (100g / 3.5 oz) golden raisins or sultanas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F / 160°C convection. If using a conventional oven setting, preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
Grease two small 1-pound loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (a handheld electric whisk will work also) mix eggs, corn oil, buttermilk, & vanilla extract on a slow setting until combined.
Add the sugar to the wet ingredients & mix slowly until incorporated, followed by the mashed banana. Mix on a slow setting until well blended.
Pause the stand mixer & add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, & flours. Mix slowly until just combined.
Finally, add the walnuts & raisins, then mix gently for 30 seconds to 1 minute to evenly distribute.
Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared loaf tins & bake for approximately one hour or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pans before slicing & serving.
