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Somewhat healthy (or at least less awful) banana bread recipe?


ILiveInFlipFlops
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I just made banana bread to use up some bananas, and it was seriously delish. But it was pretty oily, and even though I cut the sugar back quite a bit, when I plugged the ingredients into a calculator, it's still pretty hefty, probably mostly due to the butter. 

 

Does anyone has a yummy recipe that is not quite so bad? Less fat? Maybe part lower-carb alternative flour or something? I know banana bread is basically dessert anyway, but I'm hoping I can find something that will be not quite so bad for us while still being satisfying.

 

Thanks!

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You can substitute some pumpkin or apple sauce for half the butter, and also for some of the sugar. Will still be moist, but less fattening. I've done it many times. Also, use a whole wheat banana bread recipe for more fiber less blood sugar hit. 100 days of whole foods has great whole wheat recipes. 

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I think it depends on what is "healthy" for your family.  Do you care about carbs or do you care about fats, or do you care when both are combined?

 

For example, for me personally, I don't care about the fat, more=better and butter is fine.  I do use olive oil in my banana bread for no reason other than my dd wants to avoid dairy and I like the texture better than with the butter - unusual as I typically vastly prefer butter when baking cookies for the structure, but I prefer olive oil in breads/muffins.  (And no, they don't taste like olive oil though it's regular and not extra virgin.)

 

The sugar in my banana bread recipe is 2/3 c, and I think that could easily be cut to 1/2 or 1/3 c.

 

Once you go away from wheat flours, there is difficulty in getting the banana bread to stick together - it's crumbly enough as it is - make sure to use 2 eggs plus whatever add-in to replace gluten.  For a wheat-free (but not GF) version, I'd use half oat flour, half Maseca, but there's no real point as that isn't lower carb.  If you're trying to lower carbs, I wouldn't make banana bread.

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Is 1 c sugar and 1/3 cup oil to 4 bananas too much?

 

My recipe is technically "cake" and makes a 9 inch square.

 

I'll post the recipe if anyone asks.

 

Eta:recipe is vegan

 

.

 

I'm asking!!! 

 

I'm on the hunt for a new banana bread thingy as my last recipes have tended to be too goooey in the middle.  I think maybe a loaf is not doable when you drop too many ingredients so a 9x9 sounds like a brilliant solution to that problem....

 

 

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Just an aside but I think my biggest prob with banana bread recipes is that the proportions seem always off because 1 banana =/= 1 banana. I get that we're often trying to use up a bunch of over ripe fruit but I really wish more recipes gave either a volume or weight of the mashed bananas.... 

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I'm asking!!!

 

I'm on the hunt for a new banana bread thingy as my last recipes have tended to be too goooey in the middle. I think maybe a loaf is not doable when you drop too many ingredients so a 9x9 sounds like a brilliant solution to that problem....

 

 

I'll post when I get home in a couple hours.

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Thanks, everyone! You've given me lots to think about and look into. 

 

You can substitute some pumpkin or apple sauce for half the butter, and also for some of the sugar. Will still be moist, but less fattening. I've done it many times. Also, use a whole wheat banana bread recipe for more fiber less blood sugar hit. 100 days of whole foods has great whole wheat recipes. 

 

I always forget this! I don't think I want any pumpkin flavor in it, but applesauce would be OK. I'm going to do this next time!

 

I think it depends on what is "healthy" for your family.  Do you care about carbs or do you care about fats, or do you care when both are combined?

 

For example, for me personally, I don't care about the fat, more=better and butter is fine.  I do use olive oil in my banana bread for no reason other than my dd wants to avoid dairy and I like the texture better than with the butter - unusual as I typically vastly prefer butter when baking cookies for the structure, but I prefer olive oil in breads/muffins.  (And no, they don't taste like olive oil though it's regular and not extra virgin.)

 

The sugar in my banana bread recipe is 2/3 c, and I think that could easily be cut to 1/2 or 1/3 c.

 

Once you go away from wheat flours, there is difficulty in getting the banana bread to stick together - it's crumbly enough as it is - make sure to use 2 eggs plus whatever add-in to replace gluten.  For a wheat-free (but not GF) version, I'd use half oat flour, half Maseca, but there's no real point as that isn't lower carb.  If you're trying to lower carbs, I wouldn't make banana bread.

 

I kind of only care when both are combined, I think? Or maybe I'd feel better about the whole thing if there was at least some fiber in there to redeem it? I don't mind some butter (or coconut oil), but this recipe just had so much butter in it. My lips were greasy for awhile after I ate some, and when I cut it down into squares to freeze on my wooden cutting board, it soaked a big oil square into my board (which, granted, does need to be seasoned more regularly, but still!). I think replacing some of the butter with the applesauce may help--I'll fiddle with that and see where the satisfaction level starts to decrease :D

 

Is 1 c sugar and 1/3 cup oil to 4 bananas too much?

My recipe is technically "cake" and makes a 9 inch square.

I'll post the recipe if anyone asks.

Eta:recipe is vegan

.

 

No, I'd love to look at it when you post it. Thanks!

 

Just an aside but I think my biggest prob with banana bread recipes is that the proportions seem always off because 1 banana =/= 1 banana. I get that we're often trying to use up a bunch of over ripe fruit but I really wish more recipes gave either a volume or weight of the mashed bananas.... 

 

 

That's actually my favorite thing about banana bread, that it's so forgiving when it comes to amounts. I've had times where I thought I had more bananas than I actually did (e.g., one was unexpectedly too yucky to use or something), but I'm always able to just use what I have and it always comes out yummy. Usually I go a little heavier on the banana than recipes call for anyway. 

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Do you mind sharing your original recipe?? Sorry, no healthier options from me, but would love to try yours. I can tweak it a bit for less sugar and oil and I'll let you know how it goes 😊

 

 

It was this one:

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17066/janets-rich-banana-bread/

 

It was good, and it was definitely rich!!! I cut the sugar down by one third, and I think I could probably go down a bit more. And based on the reviews, I also added a teaspoon of baking powder, but I think that was too much because I could definitely taste it in the recipe. However, I still think it was a good addition because the last time I made this same recipe, it was much flatter and denser. This time it was fluffy and good. 

 

I also mixed butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then added the banana/sour cream together, added chopped chocolate into that, and then mixed in the dry ingredients so there was less working of the batter at the end (and a little bit less complicated). 

Edited by ILiveInFlipFlops
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If adding fiber would make you feel better, you could add some ground flax seed.

 

Or you could use some of that funky, expensive banana flour - oh wait, that's resistant starch, not fiber.

 

That's a great idea! I love flax seed. And I think I'm going to replace maybe 1/3 of the flour with white whole wheat and see how that tastes. 

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Not bread but did you know you can smooth one banana and one egg together and fry it up like pancakes? I'd bet money if you baked that concoction, it'd be edible!

 

You know I tried that and ... really, the texture was weird. It went much better with just a little bit of oats + flaxseed, + yay fiber. 

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My recipe is pretty healthy and my kids inhale it. 

 

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup white flour

2/3 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup honey)

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3-4 overripe bananas

1/3 cup softened butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup nuts

 

Combine wheat germ, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add bananas, butter and milk, beat 2 min on high. Add eggs, white flour and nuts. 

Blake 350 for 55-60 minutes for loaf pan or 12-15 for muffins. 

 

You can eliminate the wheat germ if you don't have it and just use more flour. I pretty much always double this recipe, but I don't double the sweetener, more bananas make it super sweet anyways. 

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Here you go..100 percent whole wheat flour, and only 1/4 cup of honey as the sweetener. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/02/recipe-whole-wheat-banana-bread/

This is similar to the recipe I use, but I sub all sweetener for applesauce. No... Wrong... I sub applesauce for all of the sweetener! Bleh, whatever. Also, I add in fresh blueberries or raspberries or both if Im so inclined or I want to share with people who are used to sweeter things. So. Good.

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Banana Cake from Peaceful Palate by J. Raymond

 

2c whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar or other sweetener

1/3 cup oil

4 ripe bananas (about 2 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl beat sugar and oil together then add bananas and mash.

Stir in water and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mix and walnuts. Stir to mix. Spread in an oil sprayed 9x9 inch pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

.

Edited by happi duck
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You can exchange about 20% of the wheat flour for almond flour with out much of a change in texture/taste.  Depending on how many eggs you used you could replace 1 of them with a flax egg.  Almond milk (if milk is used) is lower in Calories/sugar.  We replace some of the oil and sugar with unsweetened applesauce, I', not sure how much.... I tend to "wing" it.

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When my youngest was only eating bread (and mostly banana bread) I would sub 25-40% of the flour with ground oats, oat brain, wheat bran, or a mixture of those. Oats are really mild when ground down and weren't noticeable by him. 

 

I'd sometimes add TVP (texturized vegetable protein, a soy product). That turned out pretty well. Again, subbed for flour in that 25-40% group of the total flour group. He didn't notice it if I kept it under 1/2 cup. 

 

Cutting butter in half doesn't hurt, but I wouldn't go under 1/2 cup. If you do cut it down good add an extra banana or applesauce to help the moisture. 

 

 

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Here's my not-too-healthy-but-at-least-has-whole-wheat recipe from Williams-Sonoma. Very dense and delicious!

 

1-1/4 c whole-wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c unsalted butter

1 c sugar (I use about 2/3 and it's still plenty sweet; planning to try 1/2 c next time)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large)

2 eggs

1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour loaf pan. In med bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt. In large bowl beat together butter and sugar. Beat in banana then eggs until completely mixed. (Might look curdled--this is normal.) Stir in nuts. Add dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Spread in pan; bake until wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 55-65 mins. Cool for 10 mins. *I make this as 12 muffins, bake about 20 mins.

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It was this one:

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17066/janets-rich-banana-bread/

 

It was good, and it was definitely rich!!! I cut the sugar down by one third, and I think I could probably go down a bit more. And based on the reviews, I also added a teaspoon of baking powder, but I think that was too much because I could definitely taste it in the recipe. However, I still think it was a good addition because the last time I made this same recipe, it was much flatter and denser. This time it was fluffy and good.

 

I also mixed butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then added the banana/sour cream together, added chopped chocolate into that, and then mixed in the dry ingredients so there was less working of the batter at the end (and a little bit less complicated).

I made this today, with some modifications...sooo good!!

 

Added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of ground cloves, 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, an extra tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp of moscato (wine), some chocolate chips and some chopped walnuts.

 

For sugar did 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 white sugar

 

Did 1 3/4 cups of flour. Half wheat, half white

 

Dusted a little cinnamon and brown sugar on the bottom of the pan.

 

Not sure if it's much healthier, but it turned out so good!!

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