The Best Banana Bread
This healthier version of banana bread has added fibre and reduced sugar, and is full of delicious banana flavour! A perfect snack for any time of day or night!
Servings: 1 9" loaf
Ingredients
- 3 medium very-ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup buttermilk see substitution in notes below
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1¾ cups all-puropse flour
- ½ cup oat bran
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Banana Bread topping
- 1 Tbsp instant/quick oats
- 1 Tbsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" loaf pan. Set aside.
- On a plate, mash bananas with a fork. Sprinkle with baking soda.
- Stir mashed banana mixture into buttermilk in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well-blended. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream softened butter with brown sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add banana/buttermilk mixture and stir until well-blended.
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Fold together until just blended and no more flour is visible. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter evenly into greased loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over banana bread batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Buttermilk substitution: Add 3/4 Tbsp white vinegar to 3/4 cups milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
The best banana bread is made with over-ripe bananas. These are bananas that are covered in dark spots and almost too ripe to eat. You can also use frozen bananas that have been thawed and then mashed for this recipe.
Chopped nuts can easily be added to this recipe. We recommend 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired. A few could also be added to the topping as well!
This banana bread can be served at room temperature, but is best served warm! To warm up, simply reheat slices in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.
To freeze banana bread, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap, and then a layer of tin foil. Freeze for up to 4 months.