Whole wheat banana bread

Bananas are a wonder food. They’re packed with potassium, fiber. They help build stronger bones. They’re better than Tums for achy stomaches… I could go on, but you get the idea. I really like bananas, which is why banana bread is an infrequent treat at our house. I eat them before they ever get ripe.

But occasionally I do buy a large bunch so that I’ll have a few leftover for bread. Now I’m a bit picky with my banana bread—I don’t like it overly moist, which makes the crust gooey by day two. I like hearty slices that can stand up to a little slathering of butter. This recipe is a tweak from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. It uses yogurt to give the bread just the right smooth consistency. And it’s moist enough that I can substitute half of the regular flour for whole wheat without it becoming too dry. I also toss in some ground flax for an added nutrition boost (and then usually some chocolate chips because you can’t go wrong with bananas and chocolate…I mean, because you want added anti-oxidants).

And instead of a large loaf pan, I bake mine in two smaller pans. My favorite part of the bread is the crust anyway and smaller loaves equal more crusts–and more heels for everyone to argue over.

Ready to break out some bananas?

Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Servings: 2 mini loaves

Ingredients

2 cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all-purpose)

¾ sugar (I use ¼ cup brown, ½ cup white)

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 ripe bananas

6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

¼ plain yogurt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat each pan with baking spray.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a spoon and then use the blender to puree them. Add the melted butter, eggs and yogurt and blend again.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Add in the walnuts.
6. Gently mix until just moistened.
7. Add the batter into the two pans.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.