Banana Spice Bread

Past readers of this blog will be well aware of my bread failures. I just can’t seem to agree with yeast. So when I saw a recipe for banana bread I thought I can do this, there’s no yeast!

This came at a climax of several weeks where I’ve been wondering ‘What is banana bread exactly?’. Many of my newly discovered breakfast haunts are offering it on their menus. Not always wanting to order eggs I’ve considered it but, I’ve never ordered it on the simple grounds that, well, I don’t actually like bananas.

While the whole country was mourning the loss of our banana crop in the cyclone last year, I really couldn’t have cared less. Then a few days ago I noticed they were all of a sudden $2.60 a kilo not the crazy $6 they’d been all year. I must have been swept up in the excitement because I bought 2. They sat on my bench and then in my fridge and I often planned to make banana smoothies with them but the thought was too banana-ery. I found several interesting recipes while browsing taste.com.au, a new Australia recipe site. I wanted something remotely healthy so I’ve used 50% wholemeal flour and although the bread is dense it’s not too heavy. I also reduced the refined sugar content and put in a handful of sultanas instead. I’ve also had a terrible craving for spice bread lately so a fusion spice and banana bread was born.

Ingredients
150g (1 cup) wholemeal flour
150g (1 cup) white (a-p) flour
110g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, beaten lightly
125ml(1/2 cup) skim (2%) milk
50g butter, melted, cooled
12g (0.4oz) sultanas
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1.5 cm-sq (1/2in-sq) piece of ginger, peeled and grated.

Equipment
1 loaf tin- 20cm x 10 cm (8in x 4in)
2 mixing bowls
Mixing spoons

Make 1 900g loaf, 10 thick slices

Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

Grease and line the loaf tin. This isn’t required if using silicon bakeware.

Sift the flour, spices, baking powder and sugar and combine in a large mixing bowl.

In a second mixing bowl mash the banana, add in the eggs, melted butter and milk and stir to combine.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and poor in the wet ones along with the grated ginger and sultanas. Mix until completely combined.

Spread mixture evenly in the loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool the loaf can be sliced and frozen for up to 1 month. If not freezing store in a dark airtight container for up to 3 days.

The bread tastes great toasted and spread with quark and honey.

The numbers:
1 serve: 1 slice: 90g
kCalories: 212
Fat: 5.4g (3.0g Sat)
Protein: 5g
Carbs: 35.2g, Fibre: 2.8g (32.4g net carbs), Sugar: 14.1g
Colesterol: 32.3mg, Sodium: 114.1mg, Calcium: 12.4mg

Don’t forget! More healthy recipes can be found on my weekly vodcast atwww.healthyhelpingstv.com. This week’s recipe is Roast Pork.