Banana Bread - Lightened up - Spelt & Vegan

Submitted by magpie diner

"Another adaptation from Vegan a Go Go. I changed this to spelt flour, just personal preference and a little more protein. I also halved the amount of oil and used some applesauce to save on some calories."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 1 loaf
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil (or any light oil)
• 1⁄4 cup applesauce
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup dates, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups spelt flour
• 1⁄2 cup oat bran
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl mash up the bananas and then mix in the lemon juice, oil, applesauce, sugar and dates.
2. In a larger bowl stir together the flour, oat bran, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix gently until "just" mixed.
4. Spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes (do the toothpick test to be sure).

Reviews

[jessi_mcg]

Oh boy, this was a hit this morning! I was looking for a special treat breakfast for DS, and this fit perfectly! I love spelt flour in baked goods for its lightness, but this was the first time I've used it alone without any wheat at all. It did not disappoint! I used 1/4 c honey instead of the sugar, and since that added extra liquid I cut back the oil a bit further as well. Neither change seems to have harmed the finished product; I made 12 muffins and DH ate 6 of them in one sitting! This makes 12 good sized muffins, so I imagine a loaf would be tall and delicious! I added a touch of cinnamon (because I am an addict) and chocolate chips on top of half (see "special breakfast for DS" above :>). Thanks for posting, magpie--I know I will make this again.

 

[Lalaloula]

The taste of this bread was soooooo good! Very fruity and sweet with awesome banana flavour! The crust was so crunchy and I really liked the addition of dried fruit (though I had to use raisins as my dates had gone bad). However my bread did not cook through fully even after leaving it in for many additional minutes. Im not sure what went wrong there, but it didnt affect the taste of the bread, just made eating it a bit messy. Ill definitely make this again, though as we all enjoyed it.<br/>THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this lovely recipe here with us, magpie!<br/>Made and reviewed for Veggie Swap #32 March 2011.

 

[Wish I Could Cook]

What a winner this one is! I made it exactly as directed (with just a bit less oil) and was THRILLED with how it turned out! As delicious as any banana bread and as healthy as a bran muffin. I thought it might be on the dry side because most banana breads call for a gallon of oil (or something like that!) but it wasn't dry at all. The dates are an excellent addition and contribute to the wonderful moistness and sweet flavor. (I made it with sunkist chopped dates that are sweetened with dextrose.) Only problem with this recipe is that because it's healthy, I'm tempted to eat it all and not share a piece....

 

[Katzen]

We really enjoyed this banana bread - although when making it again, I'll use a bit more sugar - although that's likely because I subbed the dates for pecans. I loved the use of spelt flour and oat bran in this - the flavour is awesome! I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dough, which went along well with the pecans. Easy to make, and yummy! Thanks, magpie! Made for Veggie Swap #30. **Update - Made again with 1/3 cup finely chopped dates the 2nd time round, and loved it just as well! Added recipe #446463 for a decadent topping, and to distract DH from the dates, laff - this is the new favourite banana bread! Thanks magpie!