When I was in high school, I absolutely loved the banana bread they sold at the canteen. At least a few times a week I'd be down there buying a slice as a post-lunch snack. So over-the-top sweet and moist, and usually eaten straight from its wrapping. And it had banana in it, that had to count for something… right? Right?! Maybe not.
Well my love of banana bread has not faded, but since discovering the more wholesome, nourishing, plant-based side of life, the type of banana bread my tastebuds sing for has definitely changed. Banana bread is quite a regular go-to for whenever I feel like baking; I just love how versatile it is, how many different delicious extras you can add into the mix, and how cosy comforting it is when you have a cup of tea in one hand and a slice of warm bread in the other.
I wanted to create a vegan banana bread recipe which was super uncomplicated, because often a lot of the recipes I see for it have a million and one ingredients and I don't know about you guys, but my head explodes. I made this loaf a week ago and a friend and I demolished almost all of it over afternoon tea, so I knew it was a winner and I'd have to make it again. And now I'm currently nibbling on my third slice of this freshly baked loaf. I'd call it a success. The bread uses only a handful of ingredients, and you could very easily play around with that basic recipe; I've used a lovely organic wholemeal spelt flour in this recipe, but I'm sure you could pretty much use any flour you have on hand. Also if you don't have coconut sugar on hand (you should buy some…) you could sub it with any other type of sugar. You could add in walnuts (which I plan to next time, yum), cacao nibs, coconut, berries, pepitas, sunflower seeds, chia seeds - the world is pretty much your oyster here.
1.5 cups of spelt flour (or buckwheat flour for a gf version)
1/2 cup of coconut sugar or raw sugar
4-5 overripe bananas (should be around 2 cups worth)
1/4 cup of mylk of choice (I used oat)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract or powder
2 tsp baking powder
What you need to do:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and grease a loaf tin. Mash up your bananas until they're super creamy (I use a potato masher) and add in the vanilla and mylk. Sift your flour and baking powder into the banana mixture, add the sugar and cinnamon, and mix until just combined. Transfer into your loaf tin, and pop into the oven for 45 minutes (and enjoy the smell of baking banana bread permeating the air, uh huh honey).
