I’ve been following the same banana bread recipe since the 90s when my grandmother gave me a copy of her tattered and stained Betty Crocker cookbook. I’d never thought twice about the amount of sugar, shortening (yes, shortening!), or salt that the recipe called for, or that I added a half cup of chocolate chips to each loaf I baked for my children when they were little.
Now, I will only follow Irwin’s banana bread recipe. Not only because it’s healthy, but because it is moist, sweet, and easy to make. This recipe can be found on her Plant Based Nana website, plantbasednana.org.
Properly wrapped, banana bread will last in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to six months.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 2 cups ripe mashed bananas (3-4 medium bananas)
- 2 flax “eggs” (2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water)
- ¼ - ½ cup chopped dates ¼ cup chopped walnuts (can also add a handful chopped apricots or raisins)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the flour with baking soda and baking powder. Add the spices.
In another bowl mix the mashed bananas with the flax eggs and dates.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Batter will appear heavy, but it does mix. Be patient. Then toss in the walnuts.
Lightly oil loaf pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check for doneness with toothpick. Turn bread onto cooling rack.
