Banana bread isn’t something I make often, but lately our bananas have been ripening at warp speed! It seems like they’re super green one day and the next day they’re black. I guess it’s because my kitchen is warmer now than it was over the winter, but either way, we’ve wound up with several bananas that were too ripe to eat so we stuck them in the freezer. Then Jordan informed me that the freezer was full of frozen bananas and I needed to get rid of some – enter honey wheat banana bread =). I’ve been wanting to make honey wheat banana bread for a long time so this was the perfect opportunity. Remember a while back when I made Molasses Bran Muffins? I used that recipe as a starting point for this bread, making several changes including swapping out the molasses for honey. It turned out great! I loved the nuttiness you get from the whole wheat flour and the honey flavor really shines through. The bananas keep the bread very moist and provide lots of natural sweetness. It’s a delicious, healthier banana bread that doesn’t taste “healthy” at all! That being said, it is not super sweet. I thought it was sweet enough, but Jordan thought it could have been a little sweeter. If you want more of a dessert type bread increase the honey to 1/2 cup or smear each piece with some honey butter or a drizzle of honey =). I had plans to use leftovers to make Banana Bread French Toast (recipe coming soon!), so that’s another reason I didn’t want my bread too sweet. Enjoy!
Honey Wheat Banana Bread
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup skim milk
1/3 cup honey *see note below
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (~1-1/2 cups)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp raw sugar
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. In large bowl, whisk together milk, honey, mashed bananas, oil, and vanilla until combined.
3. In separate bowl, combine wheat bran, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
4. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle raw sugar over batter and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool and remove from pan. Cut into 12 slices. Wrap leftover bread tightly in plastic wrap – it’s even better the next day!
Notes: If you want your bread more on the sweet side, use 1/2 cup honey. Bake time may vary slightly depending on your pan. I used a dark, non-stick loaf pan.
Nutritional info (per 1/12th): 137 calories; 2.7 g fat; 27.7 g carbohydrates; 4.4 g fiber; 2.3 g protein.
