I feel a little bad for banana bread sometimes. Sure, it's delicious beyond measure and versatile, going easily from morning to night. But very rarely does anyone set out to make banana bread. Instead, banana bread has been reduced to an afterthought. Have old bananas on hand that are too old for the lunchbox or morning cereal? Make banana bread.
This recipe might change the way you approach banana bread. You might even find yourself going to the store, in search of bananas on the verge of going to mush, for the sole purpose of making banana bread, because this recipe is pure yumm. Trust me, I did the research this weekend and the feedback was all kinds of positive.
But this banana bread also has a dirty little secret. It's made with 100% whole wheat flour. When is she going to shut up about whole wheat flour? You're probably thinking, but I just can't seem to find it in me to shut my mouth, because when a recipe finds that happy place where it is soft, moist, delicious, and 100% whole wheat, you know you've got something good on your hands and your hips.
Banana Bread Ultimate
Ingredients:
*1 cup sugar
*1 stick unsalted butter, softened
*2 large eggs
*3 ripe bananas, mashed
*2 Tablespoons milk
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*2 cups whole wheat flour
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon salt
*3/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions:
*Preheat the oven to 325*F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the loaf pan with a slice of parchment paper to avoid sticking.
*Beat the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
*In a small bowl, mix together the bananas, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
*Add the banana mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
*Beat in the chopped pecans by hand.
*Pour batter into pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.
Happy Baking!
Madison
5 comments:
Madison, you know I would NEVER complain that you use whole wheat flour! It's a simple way to increase the nutrition and nearly every time no one can tell the difference. So sneaky :) What a yummy-looking recipe. Thanks for sharing!
PS: Your photos are always gorgeous. So talented!
I have only recently discovered your blog and I feel strangely compelled to bake my way through it! I hope that doesn't seem strange and creepy, it's intended as a huge compliment! I made this bread tonight and it was a hit. I made a few adaptations that ended up working. I used three mushy bananas as directed, and then diced up a firmer banana in for some texture and variety. It added a nice extra banananess to the bread. Since I am the solo pecan eater in the family, I substituted the nuts with the same quantity if dark chocolate chunks and I would do it again and again :) The addition of chocolate made this seem more like a dessert so I think I am going to experiment with this recipe in muffin format. Thanks for sharing your great recipes and huge talent with the blog world!
Neena -
Thank you so much for your kind and generous comments. This blog is such a labor of love for me, and every time I hear from someone who has cooked or baked a recipe I share, it just makes my day - heavens, it makes my week! :)
Love the adaptations you made, too! I hadn't thought about adding chunks of bananas, but can imagine it's absolutely yummy any time of the day.
Thank you again!
Cheers,
madison
I'm looking forward to baking this bread. I've been trying to "sneak" whole wheat flour in our diet as much as possible. Thanks, Becca :)
I just made this banana bread for my husband yesterday... he liked it so much that he said it is his new favorite - even better than his mom's! Thanks for sharing!
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