Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Whole wheat and brown sugar make this modified banana bread a hearty, moist respite from the traditional. I prefer to make mini-loaves, which make a terrific base for structured desserts. A favorite in our household includes cubes of whole wheat banana bread, topped with vanilla ice cream, banana slices and caramel sauce.
This recipe is based on the Whole-Wheat Banana Nut Bread recipe in Carole Clements’ “The Encyclopedia of Baking” (2001).
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a blender, blend the bananas until a smooth consistency. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well.
- Combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, and stir to blend.
- Stir in the whole-wheat flour, then add the bananas and vanilla until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake slightly back and forth to even it out.
- Bake about 50-60 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Let stand in pan about 10 minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For medium-sized loaves, reduce baking time to about 30-35 minutes. For mini-loaves, reduce baking time to about 25 minutes.
Yields 1 large loaf, 3 medium loaves or six mini-loaves