Banana Walnut Bread

I hesitate to share a banana bread recipe since the internet is flooded with them AND since I recently read that after two years of the pandemic, Americans want nothing more than to never see banana bread again. (Apparently sourdough is on the chopping block too!).

While that may be true, I wonder: are those Americans my people? I tend to cater to a specific type of person - someone who is practical and resourceful; someone who appreciates a recipe made from past-peak produce, homemade flour, and the type of ingredients you can find in the cabinets of a basic, pared-down kitchen. Never mind that at least some of these someones would lunge towards a gluten, dairy, refined-sugar free version of a sweet-something that’s as American - and perhaps as off-limits - as homemade apple pie.

This banana bread is for that person. And it’s delicious.

Although most banana bread recipes are about as indestructible as a Volvo station wagon, I do have a few little tips for this particular one. While you can certainly buy oat flour from the grocery store, I’m a big fan of making it myself. For one, it’s cheaper; for two, it’s resourceful; for three, if you process it yourself, you can avoid over-pulsing the oats so the flour is scruffy and a tad coarser than the store bought kind. I find this gives the bread a bit of weight and texture that makes for a satisfying, hearty bite.

If you like low-sugar treats, you can omit or adjust the quantity of maple syrup. When I use really ripe bananas, I’ll often leave out the syrup altogether; otherwise, I sometimes use 1/4 of a cup instead of the 1/2-3/4 cup called for in the recipe. I also tend to do something a little quirky (surprise, surprise) and place chocolate chips on just one side of the loaf; that way my husband and I can enjoy it without the sugar and the kids are happy to dig into what tastes like dessert. Of course you can leave out the chocolate chips altogether, too - it’s totally up to you!

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

4 medium ripe bananas

1/2-3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 2 lb loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. Pulse the rolled oats in a high speed blender until they have the consistency of scruffy flour. Transfer them to a bowl.

3. Place the bananas in the food processor with the maple syrup, almond milk, and coconut oil, and blitz until well combined.

4. Add the oat flour, baking powder, and salt to the food processor and blend until well combined. Fold in the walnuts, but don’t blend them.

5. Pour half the batter into the lined loaf pan, then place a layer of dark chocolate chips on top of the first layer. Then cover the chocolate chips with the remaining batter.

6. Bake for 70 minutes or until a fork or skewer comes out clean. Let cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes and enjoy.