J bought a bunch of bananas from the market but when it reached home, most of them are bruised as the bunch was packed with other groceries in the same bag. I don’t like to eat bruised bananas so I thought a better way to consume most of them would be to make a banana bread.
To add some crunch to the bread, the walnuts we recently bought would make a healthy ingredient. Among all nuts, walnuts pack significantly higher amount omega-3 fatty acids ALA! They are rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Indeed, walnuts are one of the best plant sources of protein!
As I did not have a loaf pan, I use a rectangular ceramic baking dish to bake my bread. The time spent is only 30 minutes as compared to the baking time of 60 minutes for using a 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Baking time: 30 – 60 minutes (depend on the size of baking pan you use)
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tps vanilla extract
- 3/4 tps baking soda
- 1/2 tps salt
- 3 large bananas or 5 small bananas
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups wholemeal flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- A dash of ground cinnamon
Step by step instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ or 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, baking soda, salt, and bananas, ground cinnamon beating until well combined. The mixture will be fairly smooth, with some scattered small chunks of banana.
- Beat in the honey and eggs.
- Add the flour, then the walnuts, stirring until smooth.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Bake the bread for 20* minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes; then remove it from the pan, and set it on a rack to cool completely.
* Original recipe states 50 minutes
Adapted from King Arthur Flour – Heavenly Healthy Banana Bread
My verdict: It is quick and easy to bake. The taste and the texture are good even though I used 100% wholemeal flour. It does not taste like bread but more like cake. I love the crunchy walnuts. Overall it is a bit sweet for me. I will use less sugar next time. My dad will love this bread!
