Heavenly Healthy Banana Bread

Heavenly Healthy Banana Bread

Who doesn't love banana bread? This moist, tender, richly flavored loaf features whole wheat flour, making this a super (and tasty!) way to increase your family's intake of healthy fiber.

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Ingredients:
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon banana flavor, optional
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium to large bananas, cut into chunks; about 1 pound, before peeling (as weighed at the grocery store)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, Premium or 100% white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" or 9" x 5" loaf pan. 

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, baking soda, salt, and bananas, beating until well combined. The mixture will be fairly smooth, with some scattered small chunks of banana. 

Beat in the honey and eggs. 

Add the flour, then the walnuts, stirring until smooth. 

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. 

Bake the bread for 50 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes; then remove it from the pan, and set it on a rack to cool completely.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 to 18 servings.

Tips from our bakers
For banana-pineapple bread, drain a 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple in juice, saving the juice for another use (or to drink). Place the pineapple in a double layer of paper towels, and wring it until it's as dry as can be. Substitute it for one of the bananas in the recipe; you may need to increase the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes. 

Want to dress up the bread's crust — and add flavor, too? Mix 2 tablespoons granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over the top of the bread before baking. 

For banana mini muffins, scoop the batter into a mini-muffin pan (in batches), and bake the muffins in a preheated 325°F oven for 10 minutes, or until they test done. Yield: 32 mini muffins.

Recipe Summary:  Hands on time 15 minutes,  Baking time 1 hr to 1 hr and 5 minutes.