Whole wheat banana bread
For many years, I would use the same banana bread recipe, trusting in my ability to find the recipe online again. Predictably, a few months ago, I tried to find the recipe and found that I no longer remembered which one it is that I like; and that upon using a few of the different versions I thought were contenders, in fact I didn’t like either one.
To me, banana bread is best made with brown sugar; white sugar simply doesn’t hold up to the flavor of the bananas. I like my banana bread as dark as possible, which is partially due to the sugar but also to exactly what level of spots you’ve let your bananas acquire — in my case, just shy of completely brown. Letting your bananas get overripe and soft, but not moldy, will also make it easier to mash them (I usually mash them with the whisk). Also, if you’ve just made the creamy banana pudding from SeriousEats, I can confirm that you can use the leftover banana pulp to make this banana bread without too much loss of banana flavor.
The recipe below is adapted from the King Arthur Flour whole wheat banana bread, which itself is almost identical to the Flour Bakery banana bread. The KAF version has significantly more banana in it, as well as the sugar topping and instructions on using whole wheat flour, while the Flour Bakery version adds a little creme fraiche.
I’ve only made this with whole wheat flour and I find that while the bread is slightly denser than it would be with all-purpose flour, I appreciate that it’s generally healthier and heartier without any sacrifice in flavor. Of course, I invariably swap out or omit nuts when making cakes and quickbreads; my banana bread always has chocolate chips, likely negating any health benefits from whole wheat flour.
In a bid to make myself feel better about eating cake for breakfast, I tried adding wheat bran to my most recent loaf, with a bit of yogurt to compensate for the additional dry ingredient. This is a variation I would use again — there’s a bit of a toasted wheat flavor from the wheat bran, and the texture is the same as the original all-whole-wheat flour bread. Either way, this banana bread comes out of the oven with a lovely crisp crust that stays crisp for a few days, regardless of whether you use the sugar topping.
If you’re wondering if the image above indicates that this is an overly healthy, rustic banana bread, do not worry. That is just the result of cutting the bread when it’s still hot. To get a nice clean slice, wait until the bread cools, and use a serrated bread knife.
Whole wheat banana bread
454g (2c) very ripe and spotty bananas (4-5 medium bananas)
99g (1/2c) vegetable oil
213g (1c) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
226g (2c) whole wheat flour (or 120g all-purpose flour and 113g whole wheat flour)
45g (3/4c) wheat bran (optional)
15-20g (1.5T) Greek yogurt (optional, only if using the wheat bran)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4t salt
140g (~3/4c) chocolate chips (optional)
13g (1T) sugar
1| Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
2| In a medium/large bowl, mash the bananas well, then whisk in the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3| Add the flour(s) and wheat bran and whisk to combine (the mixture will be thicker if you use the wheat bran; you can also use a spatula to stir the flours/bran in, if that’s easier). Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
4| Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. If using the sugar topping, sprinkle it evenly over the top of the batter.
5| Bake the bread for about 60 to 75 minutes, until the bread feels set on the top, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs (but no wet batter). If you have a digital thermometer, the bread’s temperature at the center should register about 205°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 15 to 20 minutes of baking. Be careful not to overbake — the edges will start to burn. Given the long baking time, the crust will be darker than usual, but this is normal and won’t taste burned.
6| Remove the bread from the oven. Cool it in the pan for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. The banana bread will keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for several days.
[makes one 5″x9″ loaf, 12-14 slices]