This healthy whole wheat banana nut bread swaps half of the oil for unsweetened applesauce, reduces the amount of sugar, and subs in whole wheat flour– just enough changes to feel good about eating it for breakfast without sacrificing the flavor.
1/2cupcoconut oil,measured in liquid state or avocado/grapeseed oil
1/2cupunsweetened applesauce
4eggs
1tablespoonvanilla
6ripe, spotted bananas
1/2cupchopped walnut pieces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Optional: toast walnuts in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes on a small baking sheet, or until slightly darkened and fragrant.
While the walnuts are toasting, mix flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and stir until flour is just barely incorporated into the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Add mashed bananas and nuts and stir until incorporated.
Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans and fill, making sure they are filled with the same amount of batter for even cooking. Bake at 350 for 48-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean. Tent tops of the loaves with aluminum foil during the last 15-20 minutes of baking if necessary to prevent them from becoming overly browned.
Wrap loves in foil and keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days. To freeze, wrap loaves or individual slices of banana bread in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or unwrap foil, wrap in a paper towel, and defrost in microwave.
Notes
*Regular storebought whole-wheat flour may make the loaves a bit denser than you're expecting. I used a mixture of half spelt and half kamut flour, but storebought whole wheat pastry flour is another good option for maintaining a good texture. Alternatively, you can use half unbleached white flour and half 100% whole-wheat flour.