Banana bread is a comfort food for me. It was something that we made frequently when I was young. I learned how to make it by helping my mom and sister in the kitchen. Every time we had leftover bananas, it was time to make bread!
Our family recipe is delicious, but I found myself avoiding it because it was high in calories. When I became confident in my kitchen skills I started experimenting with making it lighter and more wholesome. This recipe has been tested over and over again. Finally it is ready to share!
When I have bananas that are getting old, I freeze them until I have enough to make bread. To freeze your bananas for later use, simply peel them and place them in a zip top bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or you can thaw in the microwave. The bananas will release a lot of moisture when they thaw. Be sure to include all that liquid in the recipe or your bread will be too dry.
To make this recipe a little lighter, I replaced some of the oil with applesauce. I made it a little more wholesome by using 50% whole wheat flour, and I added flax seed meal to increase omega-3 fatty acids. I use butter to grease the pan because I find that it works better than my a pump spray oil. I never liked nuts in my bread as a kid, so I still leave them out today. You could add nuts or other things like raisins. What is your favorite banana bread mix-in? Let us know in the comments. Enjoy!
- 3 overripe bananas, mashed (can be previously frozen)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup flax seed meal
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- In a large bowl, mix together bananas through vanilla.
- In another bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.
- Pour dry ingredients into banana mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over stir.
- Butter a 9x5x3 inch bread pan, covering the walls all the way to the top of the pan.
- Pour batter into pan and bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.
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