How to Make Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Whole wheat banana bread is a tasty and healthy alternative to traditional banana bread. This recipe calls for only twelve ingredients and is a great way to use up very ripe bananas. Because the addition of whole wheat flour makes for a somewhat denser bread, the slices also hold up very well for toasting. This recipe makes one loaf of whole wheat banana bread.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 scant cup sugar
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

1. SIFT FLOURS
   Pour 1 cup of whole wheat flour into a flour sifter, and sift into a medium bowl. Discard any hard particles that remain in the sifter. Sift a second time, again removing any hard particles. Pour the sifted flour back into the sifter, add 1 cup of white flour, and sift a final time. Set aside.

2. MASH BANANAS
   Peel 2 ripe bananas and put into a small mixing bowl. Using the back of a spoon, mash the bananas until most of the lumps are gone and the texture is smooth. Set aside.

3. MIX THE BATTER
   Boil a small amount (about ½ cup or so) of water. While this is heating, use an electric mixer to combine the sugar (1 scant cup) with ½ cup of butter. Mix thoroughly until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the mashed bananas, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth. Dissolve 1 tsp baking soda into 2 Tbsp of the boiling water and add to the batter. Gradually add the sifted flour, ½ cup at a time, and mix until just smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Too much motion can release the gluten in the whole wheat flour and make the bread too dense. If you’d like to add nuts, fold them in gently (about ½ cup).

4. FILL PAN AND BAKE
   Flour a bread pan by first coating it with a small amount of butter. Add about 1 Tbsp of flour, and shake gently to coat the inside of the pan. Pour the whole wheat banana bread into the prepared pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. When it comes out clean, the bread is done!

Tips & Warnings

• If you don’t have time to bake when your bananas are ripe, you can freeze them until you’re ready. Just peel them and wrap snugly with plastic wrap. They’ll last about a month in the freezer.
• Instead of using butter and flour to coat the pan before baking, try using a baking spray. It’s fast and easy and yields great results.

[kristara]

on 7/11/2009 Sounds delicious! 5*