I know green banana bread isn’t for everyone, so if you want something a little more normal here is a recipe for a regular banana bread. I like this recipe because it’s flavorful, moist, and it’s pretty close to healthy. It’s also not as sweet as some banana breads because the only added sweetener is a little honey and apple juice. Don’t get it twisted, it’s not purely healthy because there is a lot of butter.
To figure out how much butter I need, I used my scale. I’ve wanted a digital scale for awhile and I finally bought myself one soon after I moved to London. It was on clearance at a nearby department store and I thought, “this is a sign, I’m finally going to get it.” And it’s been totally worth it! All my UK recipes are in grams and this helps measure them. It also helps me convert my US recipes more easily. For example, I know that 1 tbsp of butter equals about 14g but what the heck does that look like? Now I don’t have to eyeball it, I can measure it! It’s awesome. And yes, I know I’m a bit dorky for getting excited about measurements.
Anyway, if you like banana bread and want something a little more subtle and less sweet this is the recipe for you! It’s yummy and easy.
Adapted from JamieOliver.com
Ingredients:
250g/2 cups self-rising flour, plus a little bit extra for dusting
3 ripe bananas
2 tbsp apple juice
125g/1 cup butter, softened (plus a little bit for greasing the pan)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp honey
50g/ 1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
2. Lightly butter your loaf pan. Then dust the sides of the pan with flour. Tap out any excess flour.
3. In a small bowl, add the bananas and mash with a fork. Mash until it’s a mix of smooth and chunky.
4. Add the apple juice to the bananas and stir.
5. In a different bowl beat the butter until creamy. I recommend doing this with an electric mixer because it will be much easier! It will take 3-4 minutes in the electric mixer.
6. One at a time, add the eggs to the butter. Beat each one well before adding the next.
7. Add in the flour, cinnamon, honey, and banana. Mix until just combined.
8. If using, add the pecans and gently mix them in.
9. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Check if it’s done by sticking a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean the bread is done.
10. Allow the loaf to cool. Cut into slices then serve.
Messy level: This is a one spoon. Even with flour, which usually bumps up the messy for me, this is relatively low maintenance. It’s just dump and stir!
