For someone who started out as an addicted and constant baker, one of the things I haven’t done in a while was baking. I am also a huge lover of bread. I just cannot do without eating bread in 2 days so you can imagine my dilemma when I decided to transform and fill my pantry with healthy food products. But eating healthy does not have to be boring, right?
So I set out on a determined search to find out better options and banana bread just appealed to me in a special type of way. I found some recipes and decided to try out but lo and behold! It came out so mushy and soggy that I wondered what I had done wrong! Never one to give up, I backtracked, checked and corrected my errors and tried this banana bread not once but twice before I could get it right! Having a solid background and history in the baking business and catering, I have always found that while cooking is a lot more free form, baking is more precise.
This banana bread is a tried and true banana bread. It is soft, moist, healthy and refined sugar free! The test of a great banana bread is the moist test. This is definitely thanks to the oil. The banana flavor shines through and all the unrefined ingredients simply compliment the banana. The nuts, raisins and oats add a great soft crunch factor and the chocolate adds even more creaminess, though you can exclude this if you like. I guarantee you would love this!
Ingredients
- 2½ cups rolled oats
- 1¾ cups mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup extra virgin oil or melted coconut oil or any high quality vegetable oil.
- ½ cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon vinegar
- ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or almonds, raisins, chopped dried fruits, chocolate chips, fresh banana slices, etc. (totally optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 3250F (about 1650C) and grease a 9*5 inch loaf pan.
- Put the rolled oats in a dry mill blender and blend until a fine powder is formed and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. You can also use a mixer or dough whisk for this.
- Add the beaten eggs and whisk in the mashed banana (if you are using coconut oil and it solidifies upon contact with the cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes)
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and whisk to blend.
- Stir in the flour until all is combined. If you are adding additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle the top lightly with cinnamon. If you like to have a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zigzag pattern.
- Bake in the oven for 40 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. If you haven’t added any mix-ins, the bread should be done in about 40 minutes but if you added mix-ins, it would need closer to 60 minutes.
- Once done, let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
This recipe has all the hallmarks of a classic banana bread—it’s fluffy, moist, infused with sweet banana flavor, and beloved by toddlers and adults alike.
If you are wondering if this recipe is that healthy, there are a few things to note. This banana bread recipe is made with 100 percent oats flour, unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for refined flour and lots of processed sugar. This banana bread is also naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, which offer some trace nutrients that white sugar does not.
Lastly, this recipe calls for a reasonable amount of healthier oil rather than whole sticks of butter (choose from coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil).
You can spice up this recipe to your preference or taste and let us know what think about this in the comment section below.
Enjoy!