I love Banana bread, specially when it's a healthy one, but I can't even count how many times I've eaten dense and dry banana breads.
They have all the potential to be delicious and nutritious. You just have to be careful with the ingredients you choose, and the way it is prepared.
So let's talk about this amazing healthy banana bread, that is full of good-for-you ingredients, and so easy to make.
Banana Bread with Healthy ingredients
White whole wheat flour: It's different from the common whole wheat flour. It's made out of the whole hard white winter wheat, that's why it's lighter in color and taste. It contains the bran, germ and endosperm, therefore being more nutritious and fiber rich than all purpose flour.
Good fat: Made with coconut oil, this banana bread will have extra flavor and benefits for your health.
Honey: Instead of white sugar, which is not good for our bodies, I changed it for honey, which is a great antioxidant and have many other benefits, like: ease digestive problems, fight infections and even prevent acid reflux.
Greek yogurt: Traditional banana breads don't call for yogurt, but for added moist and protein, the Greek yogurt in this recipe is just perfect.
How to prepare it
This banana bread is so easy to make! You don't even need a mixer. Your arm is more than enough for the job.
To start, you'll need about 3 very ripe medium-large bananas. Being super ripe is very important. If the bananas are yellow with just a few brown spots they are good, but if they have tons of brown spots and brown parts, then they are perfect. Even if they're almost all brown (but not mushy), it's great. That means they are super sweet and full of flavor.
Then, all you need to do is smash the bananas really well, add the wet ingredients and then the dry ingredients. As you add the flour mixture it is important to mix it in just enough for the flour to disappear. Don't over-mix it. Stirring the batter too much will cause the gluten to develop, creating a dense and rubbery cake.
For my banana bread I like to add chocolate chips (I just can't be 100% healthy), but you can add carob chips or any other healthier chips that you like. You can also just leave them out if you want. The walnuts are a great tasty addition too.
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas (or equivalent to 11/2 cups)
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup honey
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted) (or oil of choice)
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt (or yogurt of choice)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups White whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour also works)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup chocolate chips or carob chips (optional)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (160ºC). Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and ground cloves and set it aside.In another bowl smash the bananas really well. Add eggs and, with a fork, going up and down on a circular motion, beat the eggs in the mashed bananas, until well incorporated and some bubbles are formed. Add honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix them all together. Now add the yogurt and mix until incorporated.After all the wet ingredients have been mixed together, add the dry ingredients that were set aside previously, and stir it with a spoon. When you can still see some flour remaining, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using), and finish incorporating everything in. Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for approximately 45-55 minutes. The banana bread is ready when you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.Once it's done, let it sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it.Enjoy!
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