Healthy Banana Bread
My girls and I LOVE banana bread! I always keep an eye on bananas going ripe. It’s a bit of a gamble: one day, I have a dozen unripe bananas; the next few days, we eat some, and I think I’ll save a few for banana bread. But then, somehow, there’s only one ripe banana left! 😀
This recipe produces a perfectly moist best banana bread! There is no refined sugar, refined flour, or seed oil in it: it’s a perfect punch of a healthy snack for any time and a wonderful gift idea to take over to a friend’s home. Have I told you yet, I love taking baked treats as a gift to my friends’ homes ❤️
Speaking of treats, let’s dive into this delicious banana bread recipe that’s sure to become a favorite in your home!
Cooking Process
Step 1: Collect all your ingredients
Collect your ripened bananas, eggs, butter, flour, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, shakkar (Muscovado sugar), sour cream (or substitute yogurt), baking powder, and baking soda.
n.b. Shakkar, also known as desi khand in India, is an unrefined natural sugar made by boiling sugarcane juice until it crystallizes. It has some of the natural molasses which give it a caramel-like taste and brown color. It has several vitamins and minerals in it which help the body metabolize sugar.
Step 2: Mash your Bananas
In a large bowl, mash your bananas with a fork until very mushy. You can leave some chunks in if you like them in your bread. The riper the bananas, the sweeter your bread will be, so don’t be afraid of those brown spots!
Step 3: Add wet ingredients
Add eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, melted butter, and sour cream (substitute yogurt) to your mashed bananas and whisk for 1 minute. make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Cold ingredients will not bring out great results. check FAQs for why.
Step 4: Add in all remaining ingredients
Next sift in flour, salt, cinnamon powder, baking soda, and flour. Gently fold these into the wet batter until the batter is just combined. Avoid the temptation to overmix.
If you want to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts, you can add them now. Remember to coat your nuts with dry flour before adding them to the batter.
Step 5: Prepare the baking pan
Line your 9×5’’ baking loaf pan with parchment paper and pour in the mixture.
Top it with some sugar, chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of sea salt!
Step 7: Bake
Bake your bread for about 50-55 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Yeah, banana bread takes a while to bake but it’s worth the wait! My house smells divine while it’s baking!
Moist Banana Bread
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes1
hourIngredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1/3 cup shakkar (muscovado sugar)
3 super ripe bananas, about 1 + ½ cups
½ cup butter, 115 grams
3 eggs
¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Topping
2 tablespoons shakkar (Muscovado Sugar)
¼ cup chopped walnuts
A sprinkle of sea salt
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or on gas mark 3.
- In a large bowl, mash the super-ripe bananas with a fork or a potato masher until smooth.
- Add eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter, sugar, and sour cream (or yogurt) and whisk for 1 minute. make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Next, sift in your flour, cinnamon powder, baking soda, and salt, sifting is important to avoid lumps.
- Mix everything with a whisk until well combined. avoid overmixing it
- Grease a loaf pan with butter or ghee or line it with a parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- if you want to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to this batter, add them just before pouring it into the baking pan. Remember to coat the chopped nuts with dry flour before adding it in the batter.
- Topping: Sprinkle over additional shakkar, and walnuts, and sprinkle some sea salt on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the banana bread cool in the pan for about 20minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
Tips
- Use ripe bananas: The more ripe the bananas are, the sweeter and more flavorful the bread will be. Actually, the most over-ripe bananas will produce the best results!
- Don’t skip the salt: It adds a depth of flavor that balances the sweetness.
- Add real vanilla extract: It enhances the flavor beautifully.
- Bananas and cinnamon are best friends and create a magical flavor combination.
- Add chocolate chips or chopped nuts: For an extra treat, mix in some chopped nuts, chocolate chips or chunks just before pouring the batter into the baking pan.
- Sour Cream: It adds so much moisture and lets appreciate the tang that it adds!
- Yogurt: You can use yogurt in place of sour cream. It makes the bread extra moist and offers acid to baking soda to react with.
- Shakkar/Muscovado Sugar: I encourage you to try shakkar instead of refined white sugar. Shakkar is not an isolated nutrient; it has many other vitamins that help our body metabolize sugars, making Shakkar nutrient-dense! Shakkar adds a deep rich sweetness.
- Whole Wheat: I bake with whole wheat (instead of APF/Maida) for nutrient density. APF/Maida has most of its nutrients stripped off, whereas whole wheat has a good dose of protein and vitamins!
- Gluten-Free: I made this recipe with rice, oats, and Almond flour, which turns out just as yummy. You can also try any other gluten-free flour as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I reduce the sugar?
Yes! Super-ripe bananas are already sweet enough, you can reduce the sugar if you prefer less sweet bread.
2. Can I increase the sugar?
Yes! Most recipes online use a lot of sugar but I find them very sweet for my taste. But if that’s you who enjoy very sweet bread then increase the sugar as per your taste.
3. What can I substitute butter with?
You can use the same quantity of ghee, or extra virgin coconut oil if you prefer. These two are healthier options in my opinion. but if you like using any other oil, feel free to use that! Just remember, it should be a neutral-tasting oil.
4. Why is it recommended not to overmix?
Overmixing develops the gluten bonds in the wheat flour which results in dense and flat bread. mix your ingredients until just combined!
5. Why do I need room-temperature ingredients?
Room temperature ingredients mix more evenly. This means that fats and liquids emulsify better. This leads to a uniform dough.
Room-temperature ingredients also ensure proper leavening and overall result in even baking. ( friends, I love reading books on food science 😀so expect me to share science with you guys )
You need to take out your ingredients at least thirty minutes before you plan to bake to bring their temperature down to room temperature.
6. How can I ripen bananas quickly?
If you don’t have ripe bananas at a given time, you can bake your unpeeled bananas at 300℉ (150℃) for 15-20 minutes. check frequently. bananas do leak while baking but do not pay attention to that. place your bananas on a cookie sheet over parchment paper so that the mess doesn’t spread in the oven
That’s it, friends! I cannot wait for you to try this healthy, delicious banana bread recipe! This guilt-free treat has a touch of cinnamon and vanilla that elevate its flavor to the next level.
Remember: High-quality ingredients produce high-quality treats ❤️
Please reach out in the comments section if you have any more questions! also, let me know when you bake this❤️
